Clean Slate
by SGAConvert
Summary: post 2.14...Lauren returns from her road trip and the battle against the Garuda is planned.
1. Chapter 1

She slid the key into the door with a sigh.

"Home, sweet, home." Her voice was quiet and held a distinct note of amusement.

With one hand she groped for the lights, while shouldering the duffel bag with the other. She entered the hallway and took a deep breath. It **was** home. And, God help her, she was happy to be back.

She dropped the keys, her set as well as Bo's, onto the table and let the duffel slip to the floor with a thump. She looked around, as though seeing her quarters for the first time. The only word that came to mind was sterile. Nice enough, but devoid of any real warmth.

She crossed to the window; the light was beginning to wane, but she could still see the breeze riffling the leaves of the oaks in the courtyard. The place was stale, and some fresh air would be nice. As she fumbled with the window latch it occurs to her she'd never opened the windows before.

She used to love sleeping with the sounds and smells of night filtering through an open window, but these past five years Lauren has perfected the art of denying herself even the smallest comforts. Well, for at least the first three and a half years, anyway.

The plain white sheers adorning the window billowed around her as the warm breeze gusted in. She breathed in, smiled, closed her eyes. She was glad to have the last five years behind her.

She fingered the necklace around her neck; measured the weight of it. Funny, even though it represented a lifetime of service ahead of her, it felt lighter than just a month ago. When she threw it against the door of a cell in the basement of this very building.

Bo had been right. Nadia coming back had changed everything.

Time had seemed to speed up and slow down all at once when Nadia sat up and whispered her name that wonderfully awful day. Even as she kissed her, with all of the gratitude she felt at this finally having come to pass, Lauren knew it was over. Her heart still ached with the guilt of wanting another in that moment—for almost feeling the presence of Bo in the room with them.

Yes, she knew even then it was over; she'd given herself to Bo—but even if she hadn't, the years had been too much.

She could never be the Lauren she was before the fae. Too much had happened. She'd become too clinical, too cool, too reserved for the woman that Nadia still was.

Nadia realized it too when she teased Lauren about her almost paranoid driving tendencies.

_"Since when do you keep your hands in the ten and two position instead of one elbow on the door and the other hand on my knee?" And Lauren had responded with a barrage of gruesome statistics on vehicular deaths that left Nadia blinking._

_"Why are you always checking the rear view mirror?" And Lauren had patiently explained that they lived in a world where bad people could follow them. It was always good to keep an eye on your back and be aware of your surroundings. Nadia had responded by turning up the volume on the stereo._

_"Why don't you go a little faster?" And Lauren grinned when she responded that brake failure was almost a certainty over 60 clicks. Nadia just snorted in exasperation._

She didn't care that Nadia saw her as a little older and a little more boring with each of those answers. It didn't really matter. Because she knew when she turned the car around and headed home that Nadia wouldn't be sitting beside her.

Now, looking out the window—her window, Lauren's face lit up with a broad smile.

Nadia not coming back would change everything.


	2. Chapter 2

She hung the towel on the rack and looked at her reflection.

Pale.

Tired.

Relieved.

Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. It had been years since she wore her hair like this, but the day had been so nice that she wanted to drive with the window rolled down, and pulling her hair back had been the only way to preserve her sanity. Otherwise, she'd have looked like a Medusa inside of fifty kilometers.

She kind of liked this look. It would do for days in the lab spent examining infectious disease smears.

Speaking of….she had a set in the oven. One hundred and forty four hours had passed since she last checked on them, and though she knew her staff had run colony counts, she was eager to see if the vaccine she had formulated was effective.

She'd just run in and check, and then she'd be on her way. To Bo. After all, she had her car. Lauren smiled at the thought. Just as quickly her smile was replaced with a slight frown when she remembered the worry in Bo's eyes.

"_Why do I feel like I'm never going to see you again?" Bo had asked that morning before they left. _

Despite Lauren's assurances to the contrary, Bo had still seemed dubious.

Lauren had replayed that conversation for hours on her drive home. She kicked herself for being such an ass to Bo the days after Nadia awoke. At the time, though, the only thing that mattered was that she reintegrate Nadia into a world that had gone on without her. She owed her former lover that much. She'd avoided Bo as much as possible those days and she was relieved when the Ash had allowed her to leave with Nadia.

She'd hated borrowing Bo's car for the journey, but it gave her a reason to see her once more before she left. Besides, she didn't have enough money for a rental car—indentured servitude didn't exactly pay top dollar—and Lochlyn had not offered up one of his vintage collection. Bo had come through once more with a sincerity that made Lauren ache. She'd wanted to tell Bo then, but Nadia had come in and Lauren's sense of obligation had returned. She regretted the pained look in Bo's eye when she blurted out she wanted no contact while she was away.

How could she? The next few days had to be about Nadia. This was the last thing that Lauren needed to do for her. It deserved her complete and full attention. And now, she was free.

She giggled at the thought and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Free?"

Well, she was. At least in heart. She'd deal with Lochlyn—she could now that she only had herself to worry over. She wasn't sure how Lochlyn would react to her solitary return, but that didn't matter now.

Nadia was safe. She was across the country and completely unaware of the world of the fae. The amnestic drugs Lauren had administered made sure of that. She was pretty sure that Nadia hadn't really understood the world she woke up in, but Lauren couldn't afford to take any chances.

After they'd crossed the Rockies, Lauren had slipped a sedative in Nadia's tea and then slipped a syringe full of benzodiazepine into her cephalic vein. It had been easy to convince Nadia that she had been suffering from normal memory loss after such a long catatonic state. So far as Nadia was concerned, Lauren worked in a classified laboratory with top-secret clearance, and had been able to care for Nadia at the expense of the government. Nadia was also thoroughly convinced that government drudgery had changed Lauren from the free-spirited passionate doctor she had fallen for into a staunchly serious adult who no longer interested her.

So Nadia was reunited with her family—that had been awkward—she was sure she was off the yearly Christmas card list. And Lauren was beginning to experience life without the constant pressure to save Nadia. It was enough to make a girl feel heady.

Maybe she'd buy a round at The Dal tonight. Or maybe she'd just pick up a bottle of wine on her way over to Bo's.

Suddenly, she was in a rush to get her samples checked. She picked up her swipe card for the lab and left her quarters at a jog.


	3. Chapter 3

The air lock door slid open with a hiss and Lauren felt her shoulders lift with delight.

God, she was such a geek.

She couldn't help it though, the space age hiss of the door, the white noise piped in as background so that the cavernous space wasn't an acoustical nightmare, the smell of antiseptic mingling with the pungent odor of protein renderings and media preparation-all of that made her inner nerd swoon with pleasure.

It was her domain and it was so….cool.

A lopsided smile graced her face as she imagined Kenzi's response to her definition of cool. Something along the lines of, "Day-um, Dr. Squarepants, get out much? Geek just wet herself over a door sliding open. That is beyond sad."

She made a beeline toward the back corner of the lab, where the oven containing her vaccinated petri dishes was stationed. She lifted a clipboard from a hook attached to the side of the incubator and scanned the notes her technicians had made over the last week.

Not bad. One vaccine in particular showed merit.

She donned a pair of latex gloves, opened the oven door and extracted the dishes labeled V-1 and V-8 with a pair of tongs. She peered at them curiously as she moved over to the optical microscope. The control dish was black with growth, too numerous to count. V-8, on the other hand, only had a smattering of black specks.

She prepared a slide from V-8 and let out a small whoop of victory when she manipulated the bacteria into focus. These were altered from the control species and replicating at a much slower pace.

"Almost there." She made some notes, grabbed her lab notebook and jotted down a few ideas on formulation modifications to the vaccine and placed the dishes back in the incubator.

After stripping the gloves off and washing her hands, she returned her lab book to its place on her desk. She mentally checked off the task from her to-do list and shivered with anticipation. The last item in her mind's list was simply: Bo.

During her days in university, and later on at medical school, her peers had been jealous of the way she compartmentalized her life. She worked hard when she worked and she played harder when she played. Rarely did one interfere with the other. Of course, she prioritized things in such a way that work was more important—but Lauren never lacked for a full social calendar. She loved to dance, she enjoyed sports—she ran a three and a half minute kilometer at her peak- and she could always be counted on to keep the conversation going when uncomfortable lulls threatened.

She'd lost a lot of that natural ease and joy for living over the last five years. Sure, there had been peeks now and then—after she'd met Bo. Now, without the constant presence of Nadia on her mind, she hoped that she could remember what it was like to live in the moment and fully give herself over to the idea of opening up her hopes and emotions like a good story. She hoped even more that Bo would find it material worth reading.

She knew it would take time—it wasn't quite like riding a bicycle. Storing her emotions had come at a cost, and Lauren hoped that Bo was willing to grant her a clean slate and patient enough to deal with the baby steps it would ultimately require before Lauren could hold her end of a healthy relationship.

As she bent over to lock her desk drawer a flicker of light caught her peripheral vision. She frowned.

It was a Saturday night. Who would be in the library at this time? Only the technicians normally made rounds at night, and they had little interest in the library.

Quietly, she worked her way around the corner and across the room to the door of the library. As she approached she began to make out sounds of someone whispering. She grinned fully when she realized who it was. She paused to one side of the door and peeked in to watch the two women bicker.

"Seriously? Seriously! How the hell can you find anything you're looking for in here?" Kenzi's arms flailed as she indicated the whole library.

Lauren winced as she took in the stacks of books that had been unshelved and strewn about the tables and floor.

Bo was seated at the reading table with her back toward the door. She was scanning a page and absentmindedly mutterIng placating 'um-hums' to fend off Kenzi's growing frustration.

Kenzi picked up a slender, leather bound book and chucked it at her best friend's head. "Hah! Bullseye! Got your attention now, don't I, oh Defender of All Things Light and Dark?"

Bo yelped and rubbed her temple. "Dammit, Kenzi, that hurt! This is serious- we don't have time to play."

Kenzi rolled her eyes and whined, "We've been stuck in here for hours, Bo. I'm hungry. Besides, we haven't found anything yet….we can't even figure out how Dr. Brainiac files things!"

"Alphabetically." Lauren offered drolly. "Though I was considering going for a more random system. Oh look, you have some suggestions."

The two women started and spun around toward the door to find Lauren leaning against the frame.

"Doc!"

"Lauren."

Lauren couldn't help but notice that Kenzi sounded a little more excited to see her. Her eyes sought Bo's and her smile wavered at the caution that shrouded Bo's expression.

Bo's chin jutted out, "You're back."

Lauren nodded. "Just."

Bo regarded her for a long minute while Kenzi whistled silently and rocked on her heels.

"You look good. I…like your hair like that."

Lauren's hands flew to her hair. Ponytail, she reminded herself. "Oh. Well, it was the only way to enjoy the drive with the windows down."

Bo nodded, but shut her eyes for a brief instant. The thought of Lauren and Nadia driving on a gorgeous spring day with the windows rolled down and reveling in their renewed love just sucked the air from her lungs. After all, here she was stuck in a library looking for references to some bad-ass demon called the Garuda that was about to rain down war on the fae and quite possibly end the world as they knew it. She really didn't want to dwell on Lauren's happiness at the moment.

She opened her eyes and drank Lauren in.

Dammit. Her heart felt pinched at the very sight of the woman. Jeans and a faded grey t-shirt bearing the name of a medical university had never looked so good. "We missed you."


	4. Chapter 4

"We missed you."

Lauren's heart felt as though it skipped a beat when Bo finally offered a tiny smile of welcome.

Kenzi groaned and raised her hands. "Yah-yah. Happy you're back, now could you help us out a little here?"

Lauren shook her head slightly and reluctantly broke her gaze with Bo. "What is it you're looking for?"

"Garuda-duda. Bad ass with wings of fire?"

Lauren lifted an eyebrow. "That's serious."

"No shit."

She looked from Kenzi to Bo and back to Kenzi. "Look under A….for apocalypse."

"Dude! I told you she'd have some weird system that we wouldn't be able to figure out." Kenzi spun around and headed to the first set of shelves. "Wait. Apocalypse? That's bad, right?"

Lauren moved into the room and sat across from Bo. "I feel like I missed a few things."

Bo shrugged. "You could say that."

"Ladies, ladies! How's the research going?" A jovial tone cut through the lab and Lauren turned quizzically to the door.

"You are a woman plagued by bad timing." Kenzi offered with a look of pity toward her best friend.

Ryan bounded into the room with a grin. "So? Anything helpful-oh!" He pulled up short at the sight of Lauren. "I'm sorry." He stuck out his hand. "Ryan. And you are?"

Lauren looked at his hand and leapt to her feet. "Your ring."

Ryan glanced down as though he'd never seen the ring adorning his thumb. "Ah…yeah. About that. Bo, sweetums, tell your friend here, I'm alright."

Lauren's voice was incredulous. "What were you thinking, Bo? You brought a dark Fae here? And let him run around freely? And….sweetums?"

Bo held her hands up, "It's not quite like that. Hear us out."

Ryan moved around the table and placed his hands on Bo's shoulders. "Ohhhhh. You must be Lauren. Boy, am I glad you're back!"

Bo patted Ryan's hand, "Let me. OK?"

"Sure thing, hon." Ryan stooped down and kissed Bo's cheek. "Whatever you say." He grinned at Lauren.

Lauren retreated to the door and smoothed her hands on her jeans nervously. "Lochlyn will kill him….and you…if he finds out."

"Actually, Doctor, that's not quite true." The smooth tones of the Ash surprised them all.

Lauren spun around, and for a moment Bo thought she might topple over. Lochlyn was smiling in a benign fashion and had come to a halt only a couple of feet from the agitated doctor.

Lauren stilled and took a deep breath. Bo watched, as a mask of control settled across her features. "Oh-kay. Obviously, I missed a lot. Would someone please tell me what's going on here?"

"We're kinda having a crisis. Everyone's joining up to fight the good fight." Kenzi grinned. "But enough about us, how was the honeymoon?"

Lauren shut her eyes.

This was not going as planned. Somehow reality and the script she had in mind were diametrically opposed. If she didn't feel like crying she was sure she would burst out laughing. It served her right. Also, her karma was shit. She was pretty sure she'd spend the next life as a frog in a marsh hunted by alligators as atonement for her hubris in this life. To think that Bo would be waiting patiently for her return was ludicrous. She was a succubus, for God's sakes. And her new boy toy looked as though he'd been last night's dinner. How could she have been so stupid? Lauren shook her head in disgust at her pathetic romantic notions.

Lochlyn watched her carefully. "Yes, forgive my manners, Doctor. Where is Nadia? Tell me, is she finding her new home comfortable?"

Lauren sighed. Or maybe, she'd be a dog infested with fleas and an evil master in the next life. Wait, maybe that was **this** life—she was beginning to feel a nervous rash on her neck. "I'm sure she finds her new home just right, Lochlyn."

"You didn't answer my first question, Doctor. Where **is** Nadia?"

Lauren swallowed and focused her eyes on the floor. "She didn't come back with me."

The room was quiet. Even Kenzi seemed to be speechless.

Ryan finally broke the silence. "Well. **That's** a bummer! I'm sorry, who is Nadia—" his voice cut off with a "whoompf" when Bo elbowed him harshly.

Lochlyn's eyes glittered with anger and he stepped closer to Lauren. "Doctor, this presents some problems that I'm sure you've anticipated. I cannot allow a human to exist outside my territory when they have knowledge of my clan. I need to know where Nadia is." He adjusted the cuffs of his shirt. "NOW!"

Everyone in the room started at his tone.

Except Lauren.

Finally. Something she understood. Her eyes shot from the floor and fastened on Lochlyn. "A moment, please." She nodded toward the lab, "in private."

Without waiting, and without looking at anyone else in the library, Lauren strode into her lab. After a brief hesitation Lochlyn spun on his heel and followed his human to her desk.

Kenzi brought her hands together in a mish-mash of fingers. "Ka-blooey!" She shook her head. "I, for one, did NOT see that coming." She looked at Bo. "How's it shaking, champ?"

Bo turned to Kenzi with a stunned expression. "Didn't you say you were hungry?"

Kenzi nodded sympathetically. "As a matter of fact, I did." She gathered her things. "Why don't I just head on down to The Dal and ask Trick to round up some dinner?" She looked at Ryan. "Wanna jet with me?"

Ryan pulled something from his pocket and sat down beside Bo. "Nah. I've got some work to do." He waved a small screwdriver in Kenzi's direction, "See ya, squirt."

Kenzi's face registered a mixture of disgust and pity, but she only shrugged her shoulders and trotted out the door. "Whatevs. We'll touch base on the whole world-ending thing over shots, right?" She'd fully disappeared when Bo heard her farewell to Lauren. "Yo, Hotpants! Welcome home. Dial down the drama tomorrow, m'kay?"

Bo studied the book in front of her as though it were a riveting page turner while Ryan tinkered with what appeared to be a tiny missile.

Bo's thoughts swirled in a dozen different directions, even as she strained to hear anything from Lauren or Lochlyn.

What did it mean that Lauren was here and Nadia was not? What could have happened in only six days to end a relationship that had endured slavery and stasis pods for five years? Also, what was Lauren thinking flaunting Nadia's absence In Lochlyn's face? She had no idea what was at stake here. If everything went as planned, Lauren could be free after the Garuda were toast…but not if she got herself killed by exposing the fae.

Just as she was about to lose all patience and charge into the lab, Lochlyn returned shaking his head. "Five hundred years of co-existence and I don't think I'll ever understand humans."

Bo stood. "Where is she?" Her chin jutted out and she looked as though she were ready to tear someone apart. Trouble was, she wasn't sure where to focus her anger.

Lochlyn cocked his head. "She's gone to her quarters to retrieve something. She asked me to tell you she will return shortly." He nodded to Ryan. "I believe I owe you a tour of my weapons room."

Ryan nodded. "I thought you'd never ask." He looked at Bo. "See you later?"

Bo nodded and managed a semblance of a smile as the men left the room. Once she was sure she was alone she dropped her head onto the table. She literally didn't know what to think.

Although, come to think of it, that wasn't exactly unusual when it came to Lauren. The doctor had a way of stepping into and out of Bo's life that left her dizzy and torn. She'd never felt so secure with someone she did not trust. How was that even possible?

"Bo?" Lauren's voice was like a soft rain on a summer's day.

Bo looked up to find Lauren standing in the doorway, a look of concern on her face.

Bo swallowed. "Lauren, I think we need to talk."


	5. Chapter 5

"Lauren, I think we need to talk."

To Bo's surprise, Lauren laughed. "Don't we always?" Though her tone was light, her eyes remained serious. "But not here, okay? Come with me?" She waited for Bo to nod before she turned and walked back the way she'd come.

They remained silent until Lauren led Bo into the courtyard and down a little used side path that was lined with mulch. They had to duck to avoid a couple of overgrown branches, but Lauren walked with confidence, so Bo followed without complaint.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a nice night, and I thought we could do with a little fresh air." Lauren's long strides slowed and she waved toward a teak bench, "Plus, we have a tendency to be interrupted when we try to have serious talks, so I thought going somewhere unexpected might work in our favor."

Bo looked around as she sat down. They were in a small clearing bordered by flower- beds that were in bloom. Delicate white flowers seemed to almost glow in the dark and a very delicate scent hung in the air. "This is nice. Come here often?"

Lauren let out a small sound that might have been a chuckle, and shook her head. "Actually, no. It always seemed like a nice place, but I never took the time. Over the years, I sort of forgot this little place existed." She waved up toward a series of windows. "I noticed it again this afternoon when I was looking from my quarters."

Bo regarded Lauren's profile for a moment without saying anything. Her hair was still pulled back loosely, so Bo had a clear view of her face. There was something wistful about the way she looked up at her windows, and then beyond to the sky where the stars twinkled brightly.

"It is as lovely as I always thought it would be." She smiled and turned to face Bo. "Thank you."

Bo was startled at this sudden shift. "For what?"

"For being my friend." Lauren's smile slipped into a lopsided grin and she shook her head. "I know it's not always that easy. Especially dealing with everything you've had thrown your way these past two years. Mostly, though, I just want you to know how much it's meant to me. Having you around." She seemed to run out of words and sat still for a moment with her hands clenched tightly, face still turned to the stars.

"Lauren?" Bo whispered.

When she got no response, she reached out and gently turned Lauren's chin toward her. "Look at me, please?"

Bo searched her face, but found more questions than answers. Lauren seemed to be fighting a battle; her eyes glistened, but she maintained eye contact. Bo let her hand drop to her lap. "Lauren, are you planning on running away from the Fae?"

Lauren blinked. "What?" She shook her head. "No. No! What on earth gave you that idea?"

Bo searched her face again, but saw only honest confusion. "Sorry. I'm just…trying to figure this out. The only thing I could come up with is that you've hidden Nadia somewhere and are planning on making a break for it when you can." When Lauren pulled back she continued hastily, "I'd help you, you know."

Lauren dropped her head, her shoulders shaking.

Bo felt her heart seize. She had no idea what was happening, but she never meant to make Lauren cry. Just as she was about to beg Lauren to tell her what was going on, Lauren looked up, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"You would, wouldn't you?" Lauren opened her eyes wide and shook her head. "You found the nail, you saved me from the Lich, you even gave me your car when you weren't sure I was coming back. I swear to God, I'm surprised it was Lochlyn that actually had the spell broken and not you."

Bo fought to keep her face under control as Lauren continued.

"Bo, I've never had anyone quite like you in my life." She laughed again and stuck the tip of her tongue out to touch her upper lip before she breathed in and started again. "I guess that's a bit of an understatement. I mean you **are** a succubus, and it stands to reason that anyone who's had one of your kind in their life would certainly remember it as one of the most singular experiences, but that's not what I meant."

Her hands had taken on an animated life of their own and Bo couldn't help but smile at the earnest expression that Lauren wore as she rambled. She couldn't resist the temptation to tease the doctor.

"I guess that's better than calling 'my kind' simple. I mean, memorable is so much better, don't you think?"

Lauren smiled. "Mmm. I seem to remember alcohol made that night's talk much easier."

"I'm pretty sure Lochlyn keeps a well stocked bar. I can have a bottle of tequila here in three minutes." Bo half rose, but Lauren's hand on her knee arrested her motion, and gently nudged her back into a sitting position.

"No. I'm not planning on running away to Nadia. She and I—we're over."

Bo was aware of Lauren's hand on her knee. Heat from the contact was spreading up Bo's leg and causing her to remember Lauren's touch on other parts of her body. It was a delicious feeling and Bo felt her hunger stir.

Oblivious, Lauren continued. "I feel awful about the way I left, but I had to get Nadia away from the fae. I couldn't let anyone know my true intentions. It was too dangerous."

Bo shifted so that Lauren's hand fell from her leg and cleared her throat nervously. Despite having fed from Ryan only the night before, she was having some difficulty controlling herself when Lauren was so close. She needed to concentrate on what Lauren was saying, not how Lauren tasted.

"So, let me make sure I understand. You left Nadia because you love her?"

Lauren nodded, "Yes!" Then she shook her head. "No." Her head canted to one side as she fought for the explanation. "I mean…yes, I do love Nadia. And I definitely want her to be okay. I owe her that much. But no, I'm not in love with Nadia. And she's not in love with me. Not anymore." She held up her hands as if to keep Bo from responding. "It's still hard for me to understand. After five years of failed research for a sickness I thought I brought to her. Five years of wondering what might have been if I hadn't been so stubborn when I convinced her to go on a Grand Adventure. Five years of my own life on hold….what kind of love can stand up to that pressure?" She blew out in exasperation. "Can you even imagine how I must have seemed to Nadia? She was no longer a lover. She was an **idea** of a lover. How could she live up to the pressure of that?" Lauren ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back against the wooden bench. "How could she ever be enough?" She closed her eyes. "God, I'm tired."

Bo reached out and grabbed Lauren's hand and squeezed gently. "Thank you."

Lauren chuckled and cast a sidelong glance at Bo. "You're welcome. Why are you thanking me?"

"For trusting me with that."

Lauren squeezed her hand in return. "No matter what, Bo, please know your friendship means everything to me."

Bo nodded. "Same."

They sat in silence, holding hands, and watched as the stars were swallowed up by gathering clouds.


	6. Chapter 6

In the distance, a streak of lightning lit up the sky. Ten seconds later, a low rumble of thunder sounded.

Lauren laughed. "It was a dark and stormy night."

"Huh?" Bo shifted and gave Lauren's hand a final squeeze before she stretched her stiff muscles.

Lauren turned toward her. "You know….it was a dark and stormy night…it's the first line of what promises to be a melodramatic bit of drivel."

"Ah. Right." She grinned, willing to play along. "Okay….it was a dark and stormy night and…"

"the woman knew that the end of the world was near. The Garuda were…."

"Preparing for war on the fae. They were gathering their strength, but they were unaware of a small, but determined band…."

"Ragtag as they were, but determined nonetheless, whose plan consisted of…"

Bo put her finger in her mouth and quickly whipped it around and out, making a loud popping noise.

Lauren continued, "wet-willying the Garuda to death, thereby saving the world from a millennia of terror?"

"Huh. That's not bad, Dr. Lewis. Do you think it'll work?"

"Not likely."

"Well. We're screwed then."

Lightning jagged across the sky again and thunder followed a few seconds later.

Lauren breathed in. "It smells like rain." She thought for a second and amended, "actually, it's more like ozone—interesting that, now it smells a little strong, but once the rain hits the plants there will be a second source of—"

"Lauren?" Bo interrupted the monologue.

"Hmmm?"

"We're not done talking about Nadia."

She sighed. "I know. I just… I need more time. I'm sorry, Bo. Things are not quite what I expected, and I just need to get my feet under me, okay?"

Bo shook her head in irritation. "Why do you have to be so damned independent? It's okay to need other people, Lauren."

"Spoken from a woman who lived ten years as a Lone Ranger." Lauren turned on the bench so that she was facing Bo. "Look. I know you've been able to open up more these last couple of years, but I'm just not wired like that. Not anymore. I'm working on it, but it's going to take me time. For now, isn't it enough to say that I know I'm not alone? I know you're there, and I know that I've done the right thing for Nadia."

"Your problem is you **know **too much." Though she tried to keep her tone light, Bo knew her words hit their mark because Lauren slid away until her back hit the bench's arm with a thump. "Honestly, it keeps you from letting people in. Besides, I'm more concerned about what's right for Lauren."

Lightning rolled again and a gust of wind blew through the clearing.

Lauren covered her face in exasperation. "Why does everything have to be so damned complicated?" She sighed and reached into her pocket. "Here." She held out Bo's keys. "Thank you again."

"Sure. Next time you need to drive someone out of your life, you can count on me."

"Well, at least it came back with a full tank and working brakes." Her head was down, but she glanced up at Bo with a small smile.

"Just tell me one thing."

When Lauren didn't object, Bo continued. "Are things okay with Lochlyn? How bad is it that Nadia is out there somewhere without any…."

"Handlers?" Lauren supplied.

"Well. Yeah. What I mean is, are you in trouble with Lochlyn?"

Lauren shook her head. "No. He's convinced that Nadia is ignorant of the Fae. And she is. I made sure of that."

"How?"

The wind blew forcefully and thunder rumbled ominously.

"Can I tell you later? We're running out of time, and I have something for you." Lauren reached under the bench and pulled out a slender gift box with an elaborate gold ribbon. "Happy Birthday. Again."

Bo protested, "But you already got me a throwing star."

Lauren laughed. "Well…that was when my shopping choices were limited to my lab and Lochlyn's weapons room. I thought the throwing star was a little better than a medicinal powder made from warthog tusks. At any rate, I had a little time on my drive home and thought I'd pick up something a little….more everyday while I had the chance."

Bo nodded, "Well, you're right, the throwing star is definitely something to reserve for a special occasion." She took the gift box just as a fat raindrop landed on her nose. "Uh-oh! We should go in, it's about to pour."

"What? The big, bad succubus is afraid she'll melt?" Lauren challenged her. "Go on, open it up." She laughed as the rain began to pelt her as well.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Bo laughed even as she opened the box. "Oh."

Lauren watched as Bo pulled out the charm bracelet. She knew it was a little young for a woman Bo's age, but then again, Bo had missed out on a lot of things in the ten years she was running away from herself. She studied Bo's face to see if the gift was a hit or a miss, and was gratified when Bo looked up with glistening eyes.

"It's beautiful."

Lauren sighed in relief. "Of course, you can add to it, but I took the liberty of picking out a few that represented various aspects of your life." She pointed to the home charm, "That one's obvious…but, for an abandoned building, you've made the clubhouse into as much of a home as I've ever visited."

Bo pointed to the second one, a silver unicorn. "And this one?"

Lauren nodded. "That's for Kenzi. She's one of a kind and in a world made up of almost all fae she's a mystical creature. I think in many ways, she's saved your life."

Bo swallowed. She pointed to the third charm.

Lauren continued. "The musical notes, that's Hale of course."

"This is fun. And we're getting soaked, but please, go on." She had to raise her voice to be heard over the rain, which was beginning to come down at a steady pace. She grinned at Lauren and then let her eyes wander to the t-shirt that was now drenched and hugging the woman's body in an amazing manner. Despite the rain, Bo's mouth was suddenly very dry.

Lauren smiled, "I'm glad you like it." She pointed to the fourth charm, "As if you couldn't guess, the microscope is me. And the fifth one, the wisdom stone represents Trick—he truly is one of the most amazing fae you can ever hope to meet." Lauren paused, then pointed to the crescent moon charm. "That one…that's for Dyson. They didn't exactly have a wolfman, so I thought, y'know, the whole howling at the moon thing might stand in nicely." She paused for a moment, gathered her thoughts and then pointed to the last one. "Do you know what this is?"

"Pi?" Bo's face wrinkled. "A mathematical symbol?"

Lauren reached out and took the piece of jewelry and opened the clasp. "May I?"

As she fitted the bracelet on Bo's wrist, she continued, "It's not Pi, but I see how you might think that. It's actually a Chai…the Jewish symbol for life, that one I thought was perfect for you." She patted the bracelet one last time, then brought her hand up to gently wipe the rain off Bo's brow and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "You have such a big heart, Bo. And you're strong and so full of life. I'd forgotten what it was like…to have hope…until you came along. You brought me life again." She leaned in and gave Bo a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Lightning and thunder crashed simultaneously and both women started.

Lauren laughed and held her hands out, "I haven't done this in forever!"

Bo tugged her arm, "Okay, you are officially insane! Let's get inside before we get electrocuted!"

Lauren grinned. "Race you!"

Before Bo could respond, the woman took off at a sprint.

By the time they burst into the compound they were completely soaked and laughing like high school girls.

"Good god, you're fast!" Bo panted.

"You have to be with a succubus on your tail!" Lauren countered with a laugh.

They reached out and wiped water from one another's arms and faces, their giggles quieting as their hands began to linger. Bo took a step forward and pinned Lauren to the wall. "I think it's time I thanked you for my beautiful present."

"Ahem."

Bo let her head drop forward and growled irritably. "Tell me that's not."

"It is." Lauren's voice was ragged with frustration. She stood upright with some effort and turned toward Lochlyn.

"If you two are….finished? We have business to attend to." Lochlyn motioned toward his office. "I'll have someone bring you dry clothes, but we no longer have time to waste."

a/n: I kept replaying the Birthday party scene in which Bo got nothing but weapons (and how relieved was I to find that Ryan's gift was also a weapon in hiding...I couldn't bear for him to be the one to get it right! Anyway, in my mind, L. had to hear the disappointment in Bo's voice and take action!


	7. Chapter 7

_a/n: I'm quite sure that my understanding/ rendering of Naga/ Garuda differs from the show proper. This is where my path diverges...so please keep that in mind if you see any glaring contradictions to what's happening on LG 'live'! Thanks again for reading!_

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><p><em>If we're finished? We hadn't even started! <em>Lauren rubbed her skin vigorously with the towel Lochlyn's maid had left folded beside a pair of jeans and button up blue shirt. Her body still tingled from Bo's touch. The memory of being pinned against the wall with Bo's breath on her neck made her cheeks flush even now. Unfortunately, Lochlyn had apparently seen the folly in allowing the two women to change in the same room; as a result, Lauren was in a bathroom while Bo was across the wing in a small bedroom.

She still wasn't sure how it had all happened. She'd decided not two hours ago that she needed to write Bo off as just friends and deal with Succubus Sexual Tension for the foreseeable future. After all, she knew that it was against Bo's nature to settle down with one partner. Hell, as her doctor, she'd even counseled Bo to feed often, and she knew that polygamy was a Succubus norm.

But still…she couldn't help but dream. And Bo made it so easy when she turned on her charm.

The rain soaked body, hair and clingy clothes hadn't hurt either. Bo had looked stunning.

Lauren sucked in her breath. "Deal, Lewis." She resolved to establish a mantra in order to maintain control during the next rainstorm. "No succubus loving for me; no succubus loving for me, no succubus….dammit, that's just stupid. It needs to be shorter and more poetic." She sighed and began to brush her hair.

She wasn't irritated enough to keep a smile from spreading across her face, though, as she remembered the joy of standing out in a rainstorm with someone she was absolutely crushing on. She felt like a teenager again. And she felt only mildly guilty that she was barely four days out of a seven-year relationship. Then again, did it really count as seven when your girlfriend spent five of those years on life support because of a curse inflicted by a manipulative supernatural being who wanted to exploit you for your mind?

Who really had to ask themselves these kinds of questions?

Lauren threw the brush down with a snort and turned to the door.

Time to face the music.

They were huddled around the big desk. Lochlyn and Bo and…what's his name…Bo's buffet.

As she walked across the long room she had a feeling she was the topic of conversation. She was only mildly surprised, when Bo stood straight and said loudly, "You want Lauren to do what?"

She coughed politely and they turned toward her.

Lochlyn beamed. "Personally, I think she'll be intrigued."

Lauren waited, an eyebrow raised inquisitively. She was patient enough to let them play games all night if they wanted.

Lochlyn stood and thrust his hands in his pockets. "A lot has happened while you were away, Doctor. We are on the brink of war."

"With the Garuda?"

"Yes. Tell me what you know about them."

"They aren't quite fae, are they?" She closed her eyes, as if remembering a passage from a book, "They diverge from the fae like birds from reptiles; a common evolution to a point and then two distinct branches. They are shrewd when it comes to hunting, using their wing span and the ability to incur fire as a way to strike fear into their prey. They feed off of terror and rage."

She opened her eyes. "They also hate the fae, both light and dark, because they were pushed aside when the war ended in a truce and the fae found a way to co-exist with humans."

Lochlyn nodded, "And what can kill a Garuda?"

"The only known weapon against a Garuda is Naga venom. But that's not so helpful, because Naga are widely accepted to be extinct."

Lochlyn moved down two steps and locked eyes with Lauren.

His eyes shimmered, and glowed a slight red before his pupils rotated and split in a vertical manner. His jaw moved forward and seemed to unhinge and a forked tongue snaked out and flickered up and down.

Lauren took one step back, but maintained eye contact. "Okay. You are definitely not extinct."

Bo laughed as Lochlyn morphed back. "Not exactly the response you were looking for, was it?"

Lochlyn adjusted his collar. "Quite the contrary. I think our good doctor has proven her mettle during the past couple of months. This just adds to my conviction that she is up to the task."

Lauren shifted uneasily, "And that would be?"

"I want you to help me poison the Garuda." He took another step toward her, making his expectation obvious. Lauren went down on one knee, obediently and bowed her head.

"As you wish."

"Oh for crying out loud! Is that really necessary?" Bo exploded. "Tell her what you really mean. You want her to milk you!"

Lauren struggled to keep from laughing at Bo's succinct summation. She kept her head down and willed the humor away.

Lochlyn was silent for a moment before he turned. "Bo, you really need to appreciate the meaning of our tradition." As he walked back to his desk he beckoned over his shoulder, "Doctor? Come."

Lauren avoided Bo's eyes as she approached the desk. She could tell the woman was angry at the way Lochlyn treated her, but she could do nothing about that at the moment. She tried to diffuse the situation by being proactive.

"If I understand correctly, you'd like me to extract some of your venom and create a weapon for mass use against the Garuda?"

Bo snorted. "That's what I said. He wants you to milk him."

Lochlyn hissed irritably. "This is NOT funny."

Lauren bit her lip. She cleared her throat. "No. It's not. It's really, really not." Lochlyn was too busy glaring indignantly at Bo to notice Lauren's quick wink to Bo. Lauren continued, "Naga venom is the deadliest known in the world. But it requires a very high level to kill a single Garuda. Are you the only remaining Naga?"

"For all intents and purposes."

"Okay, so what you really want me to do, then is strengthen your venom by a factor of at least twenty and mass produce it?"

Lochlyn dipped his head in appreciation. "Yes. See? It's a simple plan." He nodded at Lauren, "You formulate the venom." He looked at Ryan, "You construct the weapon." He frowned at Bo, "And you make sure the weapons hit their mark."

Ryan held up his tiny missile. "What do you think?" It was a bronzed bullet with two small pods on either side.

Bo snickered.

Lauren rolled her eyes.

Lochlyn looked enraged.

"What?"

"You do know what that looks like, right?"

Ryan held it up in front of his face. "Huh. Now you guys are just being immature. The venom has to be held separate from the point of ignition. These small pods are necessary." He grinned. "Besides, as they say, size doesn't matter—it's the punch it packs." He waggled his eyebrows at Bo. "Yeah?"

Lauren looked at Bo. "Really?"

Bo shrugged and studied the tip of her boot.

Lauren sighed. "As simple as the plan sounds, there's actually a lot of work I need to do. If you don't mind, I'd like to get right to it. How long do we have before you expect war?"

"Three weeks. Four at the most, if we're smart about our delay tactics." Lochlyn looked pensive. "When will you be ready to harvest?"

"I need it as soon as possible. Give me til seven tomorrow morning."

Bo shook her head. "You need to sleep."

"I can sleep while his venom is being tested…he's right, Bo; there's no time to waste. If you'll excuse me."

Ryan stepped forward, "Do you need help?"

Lauren smiled stiffly. "No." She looked at his missile. "Why don't you just work on getting your little….thingies... ready?" She spun on her heel and walked out.

Ryan let his missile drop by his side and glanced at Bo. "Now, why do I get the feeling she doesn't like me?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

By the time Bo reached the lab the next morning, Lauren had most of the preparations complete. She was stretching her stiff muscles, lazily extending her arms overhead and twisting to work out the kinks when she turned to find Bo eyeing her appreciatively.

Lauren started. "Dammit! Why do you have to be so quiet?"

Bo grinned and offered the large cup of coffee she was holding as a peace treaty.

"Did I mention you were an angel?" Lauren took the cup with a small smile.

"How's it going?" Bo looked over Lauren's shoulder to a patient exam station where a myriad of glass instruments and a pouch of autoclaved instruments were arranged.

"Good. Actually, there wasn't a lot of prep work to do…it was more research than anything. I'm a little worried about understanding how the venom reacts in the Garuda's physiology. This may be a bit more difficult than we think."

"Oh. Because, you know, I thought that milking the most poisonous venom in the world, then putting it on steroids and making about a million kilos of it was a little more than just a simple lab exercise."

"Depends on your definition of simple, I guess."

They smiled at one another.

"Good morning." Lochlyn entered the lab. "Ready?"

"Yes." Lauren gestured to the chair, "Take a seat, please. I'll just be a minute." Lauren took a swig of coffee and reached down for a pair of latex gloves.

Bo watched curiously, "Is that going to be enough protection?"

Lauren shrugged, "There are other precautions. Contact with Naga poison is extremely dangerous." She eyed Lochlyn warily. "Also, there have been a few documented instances when the Naga being harvested has felt threatened to the point that they've bitten. The results were, understandably from my perspective, regrettable."

"I can assure you, Doctor, I don't intend to bite you. I need your skills too much."

"It's good to be in demand." She held up a beaker covered with an opaque film. "This is how it works, you put your…fangs…through the membrane and then I insert a probe in your mouth and manually stimulate the venom glands. The venom will collect in the beaker. We'll need to set up a daily routine in order to harvest as much as possible."

Lochlyn nodded his understanding.

"Also, I'll need to strap you in. The procedure can be a little uncomfortable and we can't risk you jerking out of the vial prematurely. It could damage your fangs."

"Or kill you." Bo added darkly, with a look of concern at Lauren.

"I like you better as an optimist."

Lochlyn slid back and Lauren began to secure the wrist straps.

Ryan entered the lab as she was just beginning the last steps of securing Lochlyn's head to the chair. "Good! I didn't miss anything. I worked all night on a larger prototype and totally lost track of the time!"

As Lauren turned he thrust it into her right hand. "Check it out!"

Lauren gasped and jerked her hand back. The latex glove was ripped and a jagged network of blood already dotted her palm. "What the hell?"

"Oh. Oops. Forgot about the barbs I added so it would penetrate a little easier. Sorry about that, doc!"

Lochlyn struggled against his restraints. "The Morrigan will hear about this, Ryan. We do not have time for petty dark fae impudence."

Bo busily helped Lauren pull the glove from her hand, while the two men glared at one another. "Are you okay?"

Lauren answered in an angry whisper. "It's superficial…but he's a loose cannon, Bo." She reached for peroxide, dabbed a liberal portion on her hand and sucked in when it foamed on contact with the wound.

"I'm beginning to realize that. What can I do?"

"You could dump him for one, I mean, I'm sure he's a good feed and all, but does he have to hang around all the time?"

"No. I meant, what can I do right now….to help you?"

"Oh. Right." Lauren shrugged. "Get me a bandage? They're in the third drawer along the wall there."

Bo returned with a roll of tape and began to fit a thick pad of gauze on Lauren's palm. "We need Ryan for now. As overbearing as he can be, he is a whiz when it comes to technology."

"Yes, but as a Loki, he's also a whiz at wreaking havoc." Lauren flexed her hand and winced. She grabbed a latex glove and began to slide it on. "Keep him away from me."

Bo marched across the room and thumped Ryan in the chest. "Do anything like that again and The Morrigan gets in line behind me, got it?"

Ryan nodded, his eyes darting to Lauren. He wore an impish look of shame. "I really didn't mean to make you bleed."

She ignored him while she rolled a stand over to the chair where Lochlyn sat patiently. She secured the beaker to the stand and slid it into place. "When you're ready."

Lochlyn shifted and opened his mouth, exposing two long fangs. His tongue tasted the air, flitting up and down quickly. As much as the restraints allowed he flicked his head forward, plunging his fangs through the membrane. That done, he rolled his eyes upward so he was looking at Lauren expectantly.

Bo had to turn away to keep from laughing at the ludicrous scene.

Lauren adjusted the head strap more securely and picked up a slender probe. "This will feel a bit uncomfortable, wave your hand around if you need me to stop." She called to Bo, "Keep an eye out and let me know if he waves, okay?"

Bo moved around and focused her attention on Lochlyn's hands, trying hard not to catch eyes with The Esteemed Ash who was attached by the mouth to a large glass beaker. "Alright."

Lauren inserted a small mirror and probe and began to stimulate the glands. After a few seconds a thin stream of venom spurted out. A tendril of smoke wafted up when it hit the glass bottom.

"That's serious shit." Bo observed.

"A little less levity, please. I need to focus." Lauren murmured.

The venom slowed to a drip and then ceased altogether.

Lauren's brow furrowed in concentration as she manipulated the glands to no avail.

Ryan poked his head over Lauren's shoulder. "Is that what you call reptile dysfunction?"

Lochlyn jerked slightly, his fangs began to retract, a small bead of venom pooled on top of the membrane. Lauren backed up quickly and plowed into Ryan who was crowding her. They both lost their balance at the unexpected contact and sprawled backwards knocking over the tray of surgical tools as they crashed down.

Lauren twisted quickly and got to her feet with a look of fury. "Are you trying to get me killed?"

Ryan stammered as he scrambled to stand but she cut him off while Bo and Lochlyn watched in stunned silence.

"I don't want to hear your cute little apologies. That was out of bounds and you meant it to be and we both know it. Let's be clear about this, trinket man, you stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

Ryan opened his mouth to reply, but she stepped forward until she was inches from his face. "Get. Out. Now." She stood unblinking.

Ryan shut his mouth, but gave Lauren a smirk before he turned to leave.

Lauren took a deep breath and re-arranged her lab coat. After a moment, she turned back to Lochlyn and Bo. "Okay. Let's try again, shall we?"

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><p>an: thanks again for the reviews...it's always good to hear if things are clicking (or if they're not!)!


	9. Chapter 9

"Waitwaitwait! First, don't get me wrong…I am not down with Tony Dark's style, but did he **really** use the phrase 'reptile dysfunction'? Cause you know, dude, that's funny." Kenzi slid her empty pint glass down the bar in Trick's direction.

Bo swirled the beer left in her pint. "Kenzi, focus! He stabbed Lauren's hand and then almost got poisonous venom sprayed on her." She drained the glass and set it down with a thump. "I don't get his attitude."

Kenzi waved at Trick hopefully then turned to Bo, "Sometimes you are just so clueless, you're cute. But this time? You're just thick."

"Well, enlighten me, Sherlock."

"Look, the Dark has been bull rushing you nonstop since he's arrived in Whoville. He's got a little obsession vibe working. Doc Milksalittle's solo homecoming doesn't exactly work in his favor." Kenzi's eyes lit up as a full pint was placed in front of her. "Trick, my man, you are a savior. I need three more to deal with this one's love life."

Trick smiled. "Another, Bo?"

"Thanks." Bo glared at Kenzi who was wiping a foam mustache with the back of her hand. "Ryan has nothing to be jealous of."

"What planet are you living on?" Kenzi was incredulous. "You and the doc ooze with tension. Of the sexual kind." Kenzi shivered. "Look. I haven't always been flush with Lauren, but she seems to care about your happiness. And the dark fae is dark for a reason. He just doesn't seem your type."

"I'm a succubus! I don't have a type. Or at least that's what I'm told….I have a, 'biological imperative'," she waved her fingers in the air, "to maintain a healthy and diverse sex life."

"If you're quoting me, it was actually just healthy…I didn't say anything about diverse." Lauren set her backpack on the bar and took a seat. "Hey."

"Whassup, Doc? Or, what's not….I hear Ash-hole has performance anxiety? Is it true the security of the entire world hinges on his ejaculation?"

"Crudely put, but accurate." She nudged Bo. "So what did I interrupt?"

"A discussion on my diet."

"Ah. Has anyone pointed out the wisdom of avoiding junk food?"

"You mean: an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Kenzi interjected and then mimed a basketball shot. "Boo-yah!"

Lauren opened her mouth to reply, but then thought better of it. She waved to Trick. "A pint please, and a moment, when you can?" She pulled a tablet computer from her bag and turned it on.

"Official business?" Bo asked.

Lauren nodded. "We have a problem."

Trick delivered her beer, along with Bo's second and said, "Give me just a few minutes, then I'll be back for a talk."

Lauren took a sip and cradled her glass.

Kenzi nodded toward the doctor's hand. "I heard you had a little run-in with the Loki—you alright?"

Lauren gave the slight woman a smile. "I'll live."

"Don't let it go to your head, but I'm glad to hear it."

Lauren let out a full-throated laugh and put her unbandaged hand over her heart. "Why Kenzi, that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me! We should really hang out sometime. Girl-bond."

Kenzi drained half her beer and muttered, "No good deed goes unpunished."

"Sorry about that; trying to settle an argument between a Fury and a Dullahan requires a certain attention to detail." Trick pulled out a white rag and started wiping down the bar in front of Lauren.

The trio of women looked to the end of the bar where an unlikely couple were engaged in a spirited discussion.

"You've done something right; no one's lost their head yet." Kenzi commented.

Trick grinned. "Yet is right." He looked at Lauren. "Welcome home, friend. What can I do for you?"

Lauren flashed Trick a grateful smile. His kindness went a long way in soothing her jangled nerves. "You know about the plan?"

He nodded.

"Good. That saves time." She turned the tablet so he could see the screen. Bo and Kenzi huddled close to get a better view.

"This is Lochlyn's venom on fae." The screen showed a cross section with bright red highlights. "And this," she tapped the screen, "is his venom on humans." The cross section now had intense blue highlights.

"It behaves differently depending on the species." Trick concluded.

"Exactly. It acts as a hemotoxin in a human's system but a neurotoxin in the fae's.

"What does that have to do with Garuda?" Bo asked, studying the images.

"Well. To enhance the venom for maximum impact it would be helpful to know how it affects the Garuda's system. Since we don't have any Garuda tissue, I decided to test it on human and fae—both have a similar genetic makeup to the Garuda. If it behaved the same in the two samples, the chances would be extremely high that it would be the same for the Garuda. However, since it differs depending on the biological class…it's a fifty-fifty guess as to how it affects the Garuda."

"So you need to get your hands on Garuda tissue to make a definitive test?" Ryan plopped down beside Lauren and looked at Trick, "Jagerbull, barkeep."

Lauren gritted her teeth. "Figures."

Bo inserted herself between Lauren and Ryan. "Did you follow her here?" Her tone was not friendly.

Ryan shook his head and let out a soft chuckle. "It's nine o'clock. I've worked all day on formulating a suitable missile for whatever cocktail the good doctor comes up with and all I want is a drink. I just happened to wander up in time to hear the status report." He raised his hands and looked at Bo apologetically. "Look, I know things weren't…exactly copacetic earlier." He looked around Bo to Lauren. "I'm sorry. Really. We're on the same team here." He held out a hand. "Truce?"

Lauren studied his hand for a minute then nodded. "Truce, but no handshake with a Loki." She held a bandaged hand up, "Forgive my hesitation."

Ryan withdrew his hand and picked up his drink. "A woman with scruples. I like that." He took a sip. "So, am I right? Do you need to sample a Garuda?"

"Yes."

"Why not make half the venom one way and half the other?" Kenzi suggested.

Lauren nodded. "That's a possibility, but it's twice the work and we don't have enough pure venom." She continued. "Betting on one and being wrong has it's own set of problems as well, including the destruction of the world. It keeps coming back to evaluating the venom in the presence of Garuda cells." She nodded to Trick. "That's where I was hoping you could come in. Do you know how I can get a sample?"

"Without raising their suspicions?" Trick picked up a glass and started drying it. "Hmm."

"My grandmother used to tell a story of a Garuda who separated from his clan." Ryan turned his glass and studied the ice as it mixed with the amber drink.

Trick looked up, "Ajit?"

"I think that was the name…is it true?"

Trick nodded. "It is. He made a ploy for complete power, but failed. He was ostracized. Over the years, he became more reclusive and eventually, was regarded as nothing more than a harmless, eccentric."

"Who fed on humans and bad little fae boys and girls." Ryan finished with a wink.

"Effective parenting bed time stories, yet another thing my mother has in common with the Fae." Kenzi noted.

Bo leaned forward, "So, we need to make a house call?"

"Tricky, that. You just don't walk up to a Garuda's cave and expect a welcome reception."

Bo grinned, "I have certain skills."

Lauren affectionately leaned into Bo with a shoulder. "True as that is, Trick is right. Garuda are extremely effective in tracking their prey by pheromones. It would be difficult for a Fae contingent to find Ajit without a problem." She looked at Bo with a lopsided smile, "The fae practically emit a fog of pheromones."

"Who said anything about a contingent?" Bo took a long pull of her beer and looked at Trick, "Where does this Ajit live?"

Ryan answered, "My grandmother always said he terrorized the hills near Prince George."

Lauren jerked upright, her beer toppling and spilling across the bar. The doctor paid no attention to the stream threatening her computer.

Bo grabbed the tablet and looked at Lauren with concern. "What?"

Lauren was staring at Ryan with a guarded expression. She turned back to Trick. "That true?"

Trick nodded. "Prince George is the last place he was known to live."

Lauren put a five on the bar and grabbed her backpack. "Thanks." She looked at Bo and Kenzi. "Get Dyson and Hale. We need to meet."

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><p>an: thanks again for all the kind comments! I'm glad I'm not the only one who is flummoxed by Ryan! ) May be off for a couple of days, but the story is working itself out in my head! Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts if you're so inclined! have a good weekend...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10.

Lauren stepped out of The Dal into the cooling night air and leaned against the building. She wasn't sure her legs would keep her upright if she continued walking.

_What was Ryan up to? How could he know? Did he know? Could it be just some crazy coincidence?_

Her mind swirled with questions and she took deep breaths trying to clear her head.

Bo's hand on her arm startled her so that she actually yelped.

"Hey. Hey, it's just me. What's going on?" Bo's eyes were filled with concern. "Talk to me, Lauren." She nodded toward The Dal. "What just happened in there?"

Kenzi stood a few meters away, keeping an eye out on the door, presumably watching for Ryan.

"Why did Ryan freak you out so much?" Bo prodded when Lauren remained silent.

"Because I don't trust him. And neither should you." Lauren pulled away. "He's trouble, Bo. At least for me." She snorted. "God, it never ends." She started walking toward the car she had taken from Lochlyn's garage. "Like I said, get Hale and Dyson—we need to meet with Lochlyn."

She had opened the door when Bo's voice stopped her. "So, how long does it take to drive to Prince George, anyway?"

She dropped her head with a sigh and pushed the door shut. "Three days with a few sleep breaks scattered in."

"Didn't leave a lot of time for romantic reconnections, did it?"

Lauren looked over the roof of the car as the woman drew closer. Bo's face was taut with frustration and maybe a hint of anger.

"Bo. Let me explain."

Bo let out a sarcastic grunt and shook her head. "If I had a loonie for every time I've heard you say those four words I'd be able to buy a round for the joint." She looked at her watch, "Wait, let me guess. You'll explain later, first we have the world to save, blahblahblah."

Lauren beat her hand on the window in frustration. "Something like that. Yeah." Her gaze faltered. "How did you know?"

"Well, looking like you'd seen a ghost at the mention of Prince George was a helluva clue." Bo worked to control the anger in her voice. "Your med uni t-shirt…UBC. And, I saw how many kilometers you put on my car's odometer." She waved her smart phone. "Gotta love google; the mileage is just about perfect for Prince George. How did you enjoy your dip through Michigan?"

Lauren was silent.

"Honestly. I don't understand why you just can't talk to me." Bo's voice was tired and hurt.

It shattered Lauren's last wall.

"Because, I'm a human!" Tears spilled down Lauren's cheeks and she angrily swiped them away. "I'm little more than a dog to most of the fae around here and five years of that kind of disregard takes a toll on a person, okay? There's been no one I could talk to-no one to trust-not until you, but by then I was so good at holding it all in! The only thing that kept me moving forward was the one thing I thought I had control over-it was the light at the end of the tunnel…making Nadia better! She suffered because of **my** dreams!" She pounded her chest in time with her litany. "**My** adventure! **My** curiosity! **My** arrogance!" She was breathless. She couldn't breathe.

She knew she was hyperventilating, and the clinical part of her mind recognized the symptoms, while the Lauren side of her was mortified at the realization that her legs were slowly losing the ability to hold her weight. She turned and sagged, her back against the car, while trying to slow her breathing. White dots danced at the edge of her periphery and she made a clinical note to remember this feeling of panic. It could help her bedside manner.

As she was sliding toward the ground she felt Bo's hands on her arms, trying to hold her upright. She dimly heard Kenzi call out in concern. She was beyond caring; all she wanted to do was stop feeling.

Cool hands cradled her face, and then her chin was lifted and Bo covered her mouth with her own. Lauren felt air on her back as Bo pulled her forward and into the kiss. She felt a warm tingle and then a delicious sensation began to spread through her body. She began to return the kiss, almost unwillingly at first. And then, as her body gained strength, more desperately. Her hands buried themselves in Bo's hair and she pushed her body back toward the car to gain leverage. She needed to reverse their positions. She needed to be on top.

"Uhm. Guys. Gals. Bitches!" Was that awe in Kenzi's voice? "I don't mean to interrupt, but get a room, geez!"

Bo pulled back, panting. "Lauren?"

Lauren blinked. She struggled to catch her breath, but this time it wasn't due to hyperventilation. "God." She looked at Bo, dumbfounded. "What the hell did you just do?"

"I'm not sure. I think I gave you some of my chi." Bo ran her hands up and down Lauren's arms. "You're shivering. Are you okay?"

Lauren nodded and stood on trembling legs. "Yeah. Thanks."

Bo leaned in and planted a kiss on Lauren's forehead. "Don't you ever do that to me again. God, Lauren….do you know how much you scared me?"

Lauren swallowed. "I'm sorry. I just—it's all—I don't know—I've forgotten-,"

Her words were covered with kisses as Bo pulled her into a fierce hug. "Shhh."

Kenzi mumbled, "Good Grief, Charlie Brown." She picked up the car keys that Lauren had dropped to the ground and set off the car alarm.

The two women sprang apart looking around wildly.

Kenzi shook her head in mock sadness. "Don't be hating on the messenger." She deactivated the alarm and tossed the keys to Lauren. "Come on, we've got a world to save."


	11. Chapter 11

a/n: thanks for your comments-especially with these last chapters! Just to address a couple of comments, xam452, I don't mind you posting a link back to this fic, but thank you for telling me-I really appreciate you letting me know! That's really the only thing I ask...I'd like to know a little bit about where/if my stuff gets posted elsewhere!

owelpost: yes, it is a heckuva long drive! I googled and saw that it basically takes two days...so I figured in three (for going a little less than the speedlimit) and a few short sleep breaks. i figure Lauren, as any good doctor, is pretty skilled at dealing with sleep deprivation, but (as you'll see) there are limits! And hyperventilating/ reviving by making out with a succubus does tend to result in an adrenalin crash! Glad you liked the UBC reference...Prince George is still a bit away from Vancouver, but I figured it was good enough to sink the idea of West Coast in Bo's mind...

eblane: thanks for the comments about the Canadian flavour...though I'm not Canadian I confess a love for all things north of the border (including maple syrup and bacon!) Well, except hockey. But the live/let live attitude and general affableness is just fantastic-I love it when my work takes me there!

Anyway, as I said, thanks to everyone for the comments and I hope you continue to enjoy...;)

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><p>Chapter 11.<p>

Lauren drove with utmost attention to the law.

"My grandmother makes you look old." Kenzi groaned. "Hello! Twenty-five is a sucky speed."

Lauren ignored her passenger. She was still trying to make sense out of what had just happened. She thought she might be in shock.

It was one thing to find out that her ex-girlfriend who had spent the last five years in a coma was now living in a town…in fact had _grown up_ in a town…that was periodically fed on by a reclusive Garuda. But the capper was that the woman she'd slept with…twice now…who could suck the life force from a cactus was now suddenly capable of giving her own life force away.

Sure, Bo had given back other's chi…Lauren had witnessed that herself with the Lich…when Christophe had been revived. But, what she'd just done was something entirely different. Bo had just revived Lauren with a bit of her own life force, without taking anything from Lauren first.

And it felt amazing.

"Hey! You know they give tickets for going too slow!" Kenzi's voice eventually penetrated Lauren's thoughts.

"What?"

"Finally!" Kenzi glared at her. "Let's get there before we die of old age, m'kay?"

"Oh." Lauren obediently stepped down on the accelerator. "Sorry."

After they rode in silence for a couple of minutes Kenzi asked, "Do you really think I'm like a unicorn?"

It took a second for Lauren's mind to switch gears, but when she realized what Kenzi was talking about she chuckled. "Bo told you, eh?"

"The bracelet's not quite her normal bling. I couldn't help but notice it—so I asked."

"She doesn't like it?"

"Oh no! I didn't say that. She hasn't taken it off." Kenzi watched the taillights in front of them. "It's….nice."

Lauren laughed. "Translation, it's not your thing."

Kenzi answered in a tone that was uncharacteristically serious. "I think I'm beginning to realize it doesn't always have to be my thing to be good for someone else."

Lauren looked over to find the young woman watching her with a shrouded expression.

"I think you're Bo's unicorn. She's lucky to have a friend like you."

Kenzi nodded and turned to face the road again. "Thank you." And softer, "I'm glad you came back."

When they pulled up to the compound Bo was pacing beside her car.

"What took you so long?"

Kenzi gestured at Lauren, "Grammy over there couldn't seem to go faster than 40 clicks."

Lauren flashed a look of annoyance at Kenzi. "If someone would get their driver's license then they could have been in charge."

"Can't you two please get along?" Bo pleaded.

Kenzi winked at Lauren who stuck out her tongue good-naturedly.

"How are you?" Bo asked Lauren.

"I'm tired, but fine. It was just…everything sort of crashed in on me at the same time. I know I still owe you an explanation Bo, but can we please keep Nadia's hometown between the three of us—it could get complicated if Lochlyn finds out."

Kenzi and Bo nodded.

An arc of light swept over them as Dyson's car turned in.

"What's up, Bo? Dyson said you needed us, pronto?" Hale hopped out of the car and high fived Kenzi. "My girl! Looking good as always."

"You know it, a girl's gotta wear the right shoes for the end of the world." Kenzi extended her foot so Hale could admire her six-inch Mary Janes. His whistle had a calming affect on them all.

"Thanks." Lauren murmured with a smile in his direction. She rolled her head, stretching her neck muscles. "I really needed that."

"No offense doc, but you look like shit." Dyson looked at Lauren carefully. "How long has it been since you slept?"

"A while." Lauren admitted. "And thanks, for pointing it out." She ran a hand through her hair self-consciously. "It's been busy here. We need to talk about the Garuda." She trudged toward the door, "Lochlyn is expecting us. Kenzi texted him from my phone on the drive over."

When they entered his office they found Ryan waiting as well. He smiled. "I've filled him in."

Lauren slipped to the side and sat down in a chair. She'd let them debate the plan until they tired and then interject her thoughts. In the meantime, she might as well get some rest. The long drive and the course of events in her short thirty-six hours back had begun to take their toll.

An hour later they were still making little headway and she was about to nod off. Bo's voice brought her into the conversation. "Lauren, what do you think we should do?"

They looked at her expectantly.

She stood up and tried to stretch her stiff muscles without anyone noticing. "I think it would be smart to avoid raising Ajit's suspicions. We also don't have time to waste between sampling his tissue and testing the venom against it. Someone with medical training needs to go. You can only afford one Fae in the group that goes to Prince George—any more than that and he'll detect the pheromones a mile away. Even so, we'll need to alter the pheromone trail with a synthetic mixture."

"But Prince George has a Fae community…surely Ajit won't notice a few more?" Dyson argued.

"The Fae community aren't tracking Ajit. A Garuda senses both predators and prey." Lauren countered. "The risk is too great—if we push him into hiding we lose our chance."

"You and Hale can use your police ties with the Fae there to gather information on Ajit's hunting patterns…they must keep track of his human kills." Lauren felt a little sick as she said this. She swallowed hard. "When we get there you can put us in touch with your contacts."

"We?" Ryan asked.

Lauren looked at him and answered in an even tone. "Me and Bo."

Dyson shook his head. "My tracking skills would be most useful."

"It would be easier to draw him to us. By letting him sense our anger and our fear." Lauren argued. "Besides, no amount of body spray is going to quench your pheromones."

Hale and Kenzi chuckled.

"And it will be so easy to mask a succubus' pheromones?"

"With the right mix of essential oils, Bo can come off as just a large female mammal in heat."

Hale and Kenzi snorted.

"Hey!" Bo was indignant. "Did you just call me fat and horny?"

She looked apologetically at Bo and stifled a yawn. "Sorry. It's just….you're easier to mask than a strong alpha male." She hastened to add, "Not that you aren't alpha in your own right. It's just…easier to work with sex pheromones than aggression pheromones." She put her hand over her mouth as if to keep herself from rambling. "I'm going to pack the equipment we need for the sampling and testing." She turned to the door, but looked back at Kenzi. "You should make the trip too, we'll be carrying a lot of supplies….a third would be helpful."

Kenzi did a shuffling dance, "Road trip!"

Lochlyn called out, just before the doctor disappeared, "I'll have a jet ready to leave in two hours."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12.

"Doc, you totally rocked it!" Kenzi spun around in her swivel flight chair. "Also this plane is sweet!" She reached over and opened a mini-fridge, "Come to mama my little, teeny-weeny friends," she cooed at the miniature bottles of booze.

Lauren settled her backpack in a corner and turned to find Bo sitting at the table in the center of the cabin looking at her with a smug grin. "What?"

"Kenzi's right. You did sort of 'rock it'. How long were you going to let us argue in a loop before getting everyone to agree to your plan?"

"Oh." She felt her lips turn up in a small smile. "I was hoping for a longer nap, to be honest…you drew me into the conversation a full hour before I expected it."

"Mmm. Well, you'll have a few hours to sleep during the flight, but I'm willing to bet you haven't eaten in hours either?"

Lauren's answer was vague. "I had a protein bar a while ago."

Bo reached into her backpack and pulled out a couple of bags, "So then, Ho King's sizzling chicken was probably a bad idea?"

Lauren's mouth watered and she swallowed, "With their house fried rice?"

Bo held up a small container. "Naturally."

"You are a goddess."

"I like it when you say things like that."

"Chill, Sappy Sapphos! Still on the plane here, and not drunk yet!" Kenzi turned up a tiny Grey Goose, then moved to the table. "But hungry."

They passed chopsticks around followed by small containers. For a few minutes, the cabin was silent.

"So, what happens when we get to Prince George?" Kenzi asked looking at Lauren.

"Bo needs to sign in at a way-station—Dyson and Hale should have the location for us when we arrive. Hopefully, they'll also have some police contacts who can give us some ideas about how to start tracking Ajit."

"No, I mean about Nadia."

Lauren's chopsticks hovered mid-air. "Oh." She put the container down and wiped her mouth. "I've packed a hat and sunglasses."

Bo and Kenzi exchanged looks.

They each carefully took another bite of food and avoided looking at Lauren.

"Oh, come on. What?" Lauren demanded.

The two women shook their heads wordlessly trying hard not to laugh.

Lauren looked down as a rueful smile slowly spread over her face. "It's ridiculous, I know. Anyway, Prince George isn't that small, we probably won't see her."

"Dude, have you met us? If it's possible, it's going to happen especially if you wear a hat and sunglasses. What, do you think you're Clark Kent or something?"

"I'll deal with it if and when that happens." Lauren stood. "For now, I'm brushing my teeth and going to sleep—I'm wiped." She smiled at Bo, "Thanks for dinner—it's the best meal I've had in days." She picked up her backpack and headed to the rear of the spacious cabin where the lav and four sleeping pods were located.

"Sweet dreams." Bo reached up and squeezed Lauren's hand as she walked by.

Kenzi leaned forward and whispered, "Do you think she packed hats and sunglasses for us, too?" Kenzi gestured at herself, "I have a feeling I'll stand out in Prince George; a baseball cap and aviators aren't going to help."

Bo laughed at the image. "Maybe she has a beret for you."

As Bo cleaned up the remainder of dinner she thought about Lauren's actions since she'd returned from her road trip. She'd always seemed composed and assured when it came to matters of science and medicine, but she was almost heartbreakingly timid when it came to her personal life—on matters of the heart, Lauren seemed wound tighter than a spring, and infinitely breakable. In hindsight, Bo knew that Nadia's condition had been the reason that Lauren so willingly submitted to the demands of the Fae and also denied herself any real opportunity for happiness, and she couldn't imagine the toll that would take over the course of five years. Since her return, Lauren seemed less submissive—her willingness to stand up to Ryan had shown that. But her breakdown at The Dal had indicated there was still more underneath. Things that Lauren held too tight, things she couldn't yet bear to expose.

She knew that Lauren cared for her—but she wasn't sure what that meant. Hell, then again, she didn't really know how she felt about Lauren, so who was she to judge, really?

Bo did know one thing. She was happy to be on a plane headed out of Toronto. And she was happy that Lauren was on that plane with her, and that the rest of her own heart struggles were left behind for a few days. Ryan and Dyson were too much to deal with for now.

She grabbed her backpack and said good night to Kenzi, who was gleefully checking out the on-board gaming system. As she readied for bed she glanced over at Lauren. The woman was asleep—and deeply. Bo grinned as she thought about what a heavy sleeper Lauren was—but her face sobered as she wondered if it was truly an indication of exhaustion.

She was so peaceful when she slept, her face free of the worry that was evident too often in her eyes and around her mouth. Bo leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on Lauren's forehead. The woman stirred briefly, but her breathing remained even and deep.

Bo settled in her pod and wondered what the next day would bring. It was odd; they kept teasing about the end of the world, and everyone seemed to think there was a good possibility they might not win the upcoming battle, but she wasn't too worried.

Her last thought before drifting off was that perhaps that was a clear sign she should be worried.


	13. Chapter 13

_a/n: sorry for the day off...y'know: life._

_as always, thx for the comments- :)_

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><p>Chapter 13.<p>

"What the hell are you doing here?" Bo's voice was accusatory.

Ryan shook his head in mock sadness. "I thought you'd be happier to see me, sweetheart. What's wrong; didn't sleep well?"

When that didn't get a reply he continued, "Turns out, Lochlyn's jet had some engine difficulties…and mine just happened to be flight ready." He grinned, "Besides, now you don't have to wander off into trouble all alone."

Lauren bit her tongue. This was a matter better left to Bo. If she got involved it would likely turn into an argument with no resolution.

They'd landed ten minutes earlier and Ryan had surprised them by popping out of the cockpit like a puppy eager for a belly rub.

Lauren busied herself rearranging the medical gear while she listened to the interaction between Bo and Ryan.

"You never know, I might just come in handy," he continued, "Prince George is like a second home—my grandmother lived here." He grinned over at Lauren, "You remember, she's the one who used to tell stories to me and my sister about Ajit."

Bo stepped into his line of vision. "You heard the plan. Only one Fae goes on the hunt. And that's me, remember? Big and in rut."

Ryan's eyes raked over Bo's body appreciatively and he stepped a little closer to the succubus. "You just let me know if you want me to stud up before you head out to the wilds."

At his nearness, Bo felt a familiar stir and she had the uncomfortable sensation that her eyes might just be telecasting her hunger. Between Ryan's energy spike and Lauren's constant state of tension she was struggling to maintain some semblance of control.

Lauren zipped the duffel bag with an emphatic tug . She looked at Bo. "You're hungry."

It was a statement.

After a few seconds, Lauren shouldered her backpack. "I need some air. You should take care of your needs." She picked up the duffel bag and walked off the plane into the early morning light.

She had just reached the edge of the airfield where an empty, black SUV awaited when she heard Kenzi squeal in disgust. She put her duffel on the asphalt near the back of the vehicle and turned to see the young woman coming toward her while miming puking faces.

It occurred to Lauren that it was nice to be on this side of Kenzi's ridicule, though she'd happily trade places with Ryan if she had the chance.

"When did boy-toy lose his clothes?" Kenzi asked when she dropped her gear at the car. "I come out of the bathroom, and good morning, Mr. Sunshine, yuck!"

"Fortunately I got out before that happened." Lauren grumbled, then sighed. "We need Bo as strong as possible, though."

"Still, I did NOT need to see that before coffee." She looked at Lauren. "Nice hat."

Lauren reached up and touched a very old, very worn, very comfortable straw woven cowboy hat. "Thanks. I haven't worn it in years."

"I hate to burst your bubble—but I'd still recognize you a mile away."

Lauren put on a pair of Ray-Bans. "How about now?"

"Wow, that's amazing. It's like an invisibility cloak."

"Sarcasm becomes you."

"Not everyone wears it well, what can I say?" Kenzi looked at the jet. "How long do you think they'll be?"

Lauren knelt down to busy her hands. Truthfully, her gear was as organized as it could possibly be, but she was desperate for something to focus on other than the activities taking place a few hundred feet away. "I guess it depends on how hungry Bo is."

What she really wanted to do was sprint back to the plane; forcibly toss Ryan out a window and offer herself as the main course. But that wasn't practical—nor was she certain that's what Bo would want. And Lauren was very practical. She was also very afraid of Bo's rejection. So she would just keep telling herself that Bo was simply filling up her reserves for the mission ahead. "It's like a marathon runner eating a Power Bar," she muttered too quietly for Kenzi to hear. "Fuel calories. Not fun calories."

Kenzi sighed. "I'm bored." She picked up a rock and threw it. "I hope they shower afterwards."

Lauren abruptly stood, "Oh for God's sakes!" She tossed her duffel and pack in the cargo hold of the SUV. "I'm walking." She pointed. "Toward town."

She was only a few steps from the main road when Kenzi caught up to her. "Hellz no, doc—you're not leaving me waiting for succufaction. Besides, our ace pilot creeps me out." Her heel turned and she grabbed Lauren's arm for balance with an alarmed squeak.

Lauren looked down at the heeled boots Kenzi wore. "We need to get you some new shoes. You're going to break your neck if we don't."

Kenzi grinned, "Aww. Now this is the girl-bonding you just talked about!" They walked a few more paces and Kenzi continued with her original line of thought. "What do you think Tony Dark's up to?"

Lauren sighed. "I don't know. But, I hope Bo knows what she's doing."

They walked a few more minutes before they heard a car approaching from behind.

The SUV sidled up to them and Ryan grinned from the driver's seat, "Going our way, girls?"

Lauren noted that Ryan looked flush with satisfaction and she barely resisted the urge to pick up a handful of dirt and fling it in his face. Instead she walked around to the passenger side of the car and climbed in the back seat. Bo twisted around and tried to catch her eye, but Lauren intently studied her seat belt until she heard Bo turn back to face the road.

Kenzi snapped her seat belt and punched Bo on the arm. "Full?"

Bo's reply was clipped. "Yes."

Ignoring the sudden tension, Ryan punched the accelerator and the SUV shot forward. "Right then, let's get this show on the road!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14.

"Wait. So all of the Fae checkpoints in Canada are called The Dal?" Kenzi was incredulous. "Dude, for such an," she air-quoted, "_advanced species_, the Fae are a little light on creativity."

Ryan parallel parked the SUV on a side street. " 'Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.' Leonardo da Vinci. Also, now we don't have to FourSquare the locations." He turned in his seat so he could see all three passengers. "I know this area. Want a little heads-up?" He focused his attention on Lauren. "The politics of alignment might be of interest."

Lauren nodded.

"The Dal is split into two businesses here, The Daily Dal and The Dal after Dark. The Daily Dal has a good mix of humans and fae. Most of the humans who work there are aware of the fae, but not all. The business fronts the street and is open to everyone, human or fae regardless—humans drink a lot more coffee, and there's good money to be made by the expanded clientele."

"Wait! The Dal is a _coffee_ shop?" Kenzi snorted. "As in a latte coffee shop or a sample BC's finest crop in a brownie coffee shop?"

Ryan barely glanced at Kenzi. "Coffee. " He continued, "The other business, The Dal after Dark, is like The Dal in Toronto—it's a fae and fae-claimed human bar. The Elder who runs both businesses is Rosetta. We'll need to see her for the signing. She's probably still here, but I'll have to go through a few hoops to get to her."

"Dark or Light?" Lauren asked.

"Dark. You'll find the Dark are a little more plentiful here in Prince George. As Dyson mentioned in his text this morning." He looked at Kenzi and Lauren, "Oh, you were out for your morning constitutional and missed that. Sorry. Anyway," he pointed at Lauren's necklace, "You'll find that won't win you too many friends here, so Bo should probably do most of the talking. Her neutral position plays to our advantage."

Bo finally spoke. She looked back at both women in the back seat. "Dyson sent a police contact. She's supposed to meet us here in half an hour. He said she's dark and not too interested in crossing clan lines." She focused on Lauren, but directed her question to Ryan. "Can't Lauren take off the necklace and go in like Kenzi—with me?"

"Too late. Lochlyn has already made contact with Rosetta—if we try something like that it will turn the locals against you as well."

Lauren's smile did not reach her eyes. "Gee, Ryan, it seems as though this information might have been useful to know last night when we were formulating a plan."

Ryan shrugged. "I don't recall anyone asking my opinion." He opened his door, "Anyway, we're here now, so just stay quiet and it will go okay. And then you will be off on your grand adventure to find Ajit."

Bo opened the rear door for Lauren and whispered, "I don't like this either. _Any_ of it. We need to talk; let's just get through this first set of meetings and then we'll find some privacy, okay?"

Lauren took off her sunglasses and gave Bo a tight smile. "Okay."

As they walked toward the door, Bo added, in an effort to lighten the mood, "Nice hat. By the way."

Lauren gave her a genuine smile and a wink just before walking through the door.

The Daily Dal was busy, only a couple of tables were open and Ryan gestured toward one. "Grab a seat, I'll see if Rosetta is here."

"Not before I get a jolt of java. Skinny latte's for the table?" Kenzi asked. When Bo and Lauren nodded, Kenzi held out a hand expectantly. Bo forked over a twenty with a good-natured glare.

They sat and Bo scanned the crowd. "Our police contact is a woman named Jenn. She's uniformed. That's all the information Dyson could get. She's supposed to bring a file of Ajit's activities for us and the coordinates for his general location."

Lauren snorted. "Geo-caching for Garuda, the new extreme sport."

Kenzi joined them, "Upscale Dal. Our lattes will be hand delivered." She lowered her voice. "It's way granola around here. I have got to get some hemp clothing and grow some dreads, pronto."

"And hiking boots." Lauren added.

"Granola hiking boots made from recycled bottles." Kenzi amended.

"Three lattes for the ladies." A waitress approached with a tray. "And a basket of scones, compliments of Rosetta." She bent down with a smile to put a cup in front of Lauren but stiffened with recognition. "Lauren?"

Lauren turned slowly to face the woman.

Kenzi whispered to Bo. "I knew the hat wouldn't work."

Lauren smiled weakly. "Nadia."

Nadia shook her head and took a step back. "Wow. This is a…surprise."

Lauren looked like a deer in the headlights.

Nadia turned to Bo and Kenzi with an embarrassed look. "Sorry. Here are your drinks." She put the cups down while Lauren visibly worked to get her mouth operational.

"Work!" She blurted.

"Excuse me?" Nadia asked.

"I'm here for work. Last minute. No time to call."

Nadia smiled coolly. "You mean, no reason to call."

Bo leaned forward to interject but Lauren's hand shot out and patted Bo's arm. "Nadia, let me introduce you to two of my co-workers. Bo works at the Center for Infectious Disease Control with me, and Kenzi," Lauren looked at the goth frantically, "Kenzi is an intern."

Kenzi laughed and then yelped when Bo kicked her shin. "Right! Intern. Public Health Agency. Just started."

Nadia nodded to them politely then looked at Lauren. "How long will you be here?"

Lauren's stammered response triggered a hurt look. "No idea. Few days. A week."

"Well. That's vague. Look, I'd better get back to work; take care of yourself, Lauren." She turned to go and Lauren reached to stop her. Nadia froze at Lauren's touch.

"I'm sorry. I just…didn't expect to see you, at least not here." Lauren took a deep breath. "Our work is a little vague, so it's hard to predict how long we'll be here. I'm not trying to be deliberately misleading." She let her hand drop. "So, I figured you'd go back to working as a photographer."

Nadia laughed bitterly. "Technology changed a lot in five years."

Lauren winced.

"I'm trying to figure out the new cameras—I'll get back to it once it starts clicking again; in the meantime a friend suggested I take a part time job here. Just started this morning."

"And how is your first day going, Nadia?"

Nadia's face broke out in a relieved smile as she turned to welcome an attractive brunette dressed in a set of police fatigues who stopped just shy of their table. "Hey." She tucked the empty tray under an arm and grabbed the woman's hand. "Speak of the devil!" She turned back to Lauren, "This is Jenn—she's the one who suggested I jump back into life by working here part time. And this," she nodded toward Lauren, "is an old…friend, Lauren."

Lauren offered Jenn a tight smile. "Nice to meet you. This is Bo and Kenzi, my colleagues."

Bo jumped in. "Jenn. Nice to meet you, but actually, I believe we were expecting you?"

Jenn smiled. "Yes. What a strange coincidence. I believe there is a case you have some interest in?"

Lauren's voice was obviously cool. "It's almost unbelievable, really. The coincidence."

Nadia looked around the table in confusion. "Right. Well. I'd better get back." She turned to leave but Jenn pulled her back for a brief kiss.

"See you tonight?"

Nadia looked as though she wasn't entirely sure what was happening. "Yeah. Call me." She looked at Lauren. "You have my number, too. If you want to have lunch or something while you're in town." She nodded to Bo and Kenzi. "Nice meeting you. Good luck with your work."

Bo waved, "Yeah. Nice to _meet_ you too, Nadia."

As Nadia walked away Bo gave Lauren a hard look.

Jenn sat down. "Well, isn't this cozy?" She directed her comments to Bo. "Humans are such good pets. I really think I'm going to enjoy that one." She looked back at Nadia.

Lauren leaned forward and hissed. "Who are you and what the hell kind of game are you playing?"

Jenn regarded her with amusement. "Mmm. Dr. Lewis, the Ash might tolerate insubordination from his wards, but we brook no such impertinence. Keep your comments civil or you will return to your master with marks of my displeasure."

Lauren looked as though she were about to respond when Bo covered her hand. "Okay. Let's dial it down a notch. You've obviously caught us off guard. Nadia and Lauren share a past. But I suspect you know that." Bo squeezed Lauren's hand, hoping the doctor would regain her composure. She lowered her voice and gave Jenn a hard look. "Also, if you ever threaten Lauren again the only marks of displeasure will be the ones across your face."

Jenn sat back and directed her comments to Bo, but never took her eyes off Lauren. "Careful, Bo. Comments like that suggest you're more aligned than you let on. But, so that you know, Nadia and I share a past as well. And now, it seems we may have a future." She pulled a manila folder out of the messenger bag slung over her shoulder. "But we're not here to discuss my relationships, are we?" She put the folder on the table. "I believe this is what you're looking for. For the good of all Fae I hope you succeed, but I'm willing to bet you won't all be coming back from your field trip." She winked at Lauren. "I really must be go—"

"Jenn! Fancy seeing you here!" Ryan threw an arm around the woman.

"Ry?" Jenn seemed genuinely surprised. "I had no idea you were in town!" She returned his hug with enthusiasm. "You look great!"

Ryan beamed at her, "Right backatcha, sis! Just saw Grandma—she's looking spry."

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><p>an: Dun-dun-DUN! ;) There was a lot going on in this chapter-hope it didn't seem too disjointed or rushed...let me know good or bad!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15.

Kenzi buried her head in her hands and mumbled, "This is such a cluster-,"

Bo's question drowned out the last syllable, "Rosetta is your grandmother?"

Lauren felt as though everything slowed down while she tried to make sense out of the bits of information that were being thrown at them like pieces of a puzzle out of a spring-loaded box. It was too much information coming too quickly for her to keep balance. Nadia. Working at a Dark Fae coffee shop. Being kissed by a Dark Fae who seemed to despise humans. Who was also Ryan's sister and Rosetta's grand-daughter. Ryan, a dark Fae engineer, was working with Lochlyn. And screwing Bo.

Actually, she had the feeling they were all being screwed by Ryan. Bo was the only one who seemed to enjoy it.

And then there were the Garuda, and the mission that had brought them to Prince George, of all places. The coming of the Blood Moon and the lifting of Nadia's curse, Bo's championing both the Light and the Dark; were these really unrelated events?

Jenn's voice penetrated her thoughts and she looked up to find the woman watching her. "Nadia said you were moody and uncommunicative. I see she didn't exaggerate."

She saw the look of surprise on Kenzi's face as she launched herself at Jenn. Truthfully, she was surprised too, but there was something about the possessive way the woman referred to Nadia that struck at Lauren's core and she reacted before she thought.

Jenn stepped back and squared up to face the assault with a feral grin, but Bo moved into the line of contact and caught Lauren around the waist.

Lauren struggled to free herself, her actions attracting the attention of most of the patrons and wait staff, Nadia included. She started toward the table, but one of the baristas grabbed her by the arm and held her back with a shake of his head.

Bo whispered to Lauren, "Get a grip. Please! She's trying to provoke you for a reason, don't let her!"

Jenn laughed, "Oh no, Bo, honey! Let her go. I'd love to see how the doctor fights."

Lauren's hands fisted and she brought them up again as she twisted in Bo's grasp.

Bo whispered once more, "I'm sorry." She closed her eyes and focused on her arms around Lauren's waist sending a wave of energy into the woman she was trying to protect.

Lauren gasped and turned her attention to Bo who relaxed her grip slightly. "Bo?" Her voice was ragged and Bo could see both anger and arousal warring in her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I need you to calm down." Bo kept a steady course of energy pulsing between them. She felt herself respond to the spike in Lauren's energy and she took a deep breath.

"That's not…a very good way…to go about it." Lauren shook her head grinding the words out with an effort, weakly resisting the pull of Bo's power. "Let. Me. Go."

Ryan grinned wolfishly. "She says no, but I don't think she really _means_ no."

Lauren growled and turned back to the Lokis, struggling in Bo's grasp once more.

"Dammit!" Bo turned Lauren in her arms and captured her mouth in a frantic kiss.

Ryan practically howled, "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

Kenzi stood and shifted from one foot to the other, uncertain what to do. "Bo?"

Bo needed to defuse the situation—she had to avoid a physical confrontation at all costs. She did the only thing she could think of.

She fed from Lauren.

Just enough.

Bo felt her hunger soar as Lauren's essence clouded her senses and she struggled against the desire for more. Everything else dimmed while she focused on the woman she held, the woman who, at this moment, did not want to yield to Bo's power. She sensed Lauren's resistance and felt the moment when Lauren's life force dimmed. She felt hands push against her chest weakly and Bo knew that she had taken enough for safekeeping.

She eased Lauren into one of the chairs at the table and turned to Kenzi. "I need you to get her out of here." Her words were breathless and she turned to Ryan taking a deep breath to center her thoughts.

Ryan protested, "But the show was just getting started!"

"The keys. NOW!" Bo handed the keys to Kenzi once Ryan gave them to her. She knelt down and placed her hands on Lauren's shoulders. "Lauren. I want you to go with Kenzi. I'll join you as soon as I can." Lauren was gazing at her with an expression that was at once lustful and angry, and Bo sighed, knowing she was in for an argument once Lauren regained her strength.

Kenzi took Lauren's arm muttering, "This is so whacked, I don't even know where to begin. Come on, doc. Let's take a ride."

Lauren stood and woodenly walked beside the smaller woman.

Bo turned to Ryan and Jenn. "Take me to your grandmother."

Jenn punched Ryan lightly. "She is everything you said." She looked around the Dal and laughed. "I don't know when the locals have had a better show!" She leaned forward and whispered to Bo in a mocking conspiratorial fashion, "Too bad, though, some of these folks have no idea about the Fae." She nodded toward Nadia who was watching a subdued Lauren being escorted out the door. "She's going to be full of questions tonight. I might have to accelerate my plan on bringing her into the fold. It usually goes so much easier when they have more time to adjust to the idea."

Bo repeated her request. "Take me to your grandmother so I can sign in." She picked up the manila envelope. "And then, Kenzi, Lauren and I are going to find Ajit."

Ryan gestured toward a door at the back of the shop. "She's eager to meet you."

Bo moved forward, but stopped when she came abreast of Jenn. "You hurt Nadia and I swear to God I will drain you."

Ryan led her through the door and down a short set of stairs. As they walked, he explained. "Nadia was Jenn's first human girlfriend. But then Nadia went away to university and met someone. Jenn never seemed to get over the rejection. She always called Nadia the one that got away." He shrugged, "You can imagine her excitement at having a second chance."

"Thanks for the history lesson."

Ryan chuckled. "You're too serious, Bo. You need to relax and enjoy life's odd twists."

He opened a door at the end of a hallway and called out, "Gran? A visitor wishes to declare herself."

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><p>an: I'm a little uncomfortable with portraying any acts between Lauren and Bo as less than consenting...there is a bigger point to this interaction which will come in a chapter or so. This story, by the way, has turned into a much longer undertaking than I'd meant for it to be! I anticipate another 6-8 chapters before it's done.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16.

"Come in, please."

Bo stepped into a surprisingly modern office and looked across the room to find a diminutive woman seated at a desk. As Bo approached, she stood and moved around with a hand extended in welcome. "Bo, it is a pleasure to meet you. I've heard quite a bit about the One who will not choose."

Whatever Bo was expecting, this was not it. This woman did not seem as hostile as Jenn's attitude made her anticipate and she certainly did not fit the stereotype of Grandmother. Instead, Rosetta was a trim fifty-something in appearance with a streak of silver running through a thick head of dark hair. Her smile was kind and there were laugh-lines around her eyes. She was dressed in a pair of stylish jeans and a comfortable cashmere sweater. "Please, sit."

As Bo settled herself, Rosetta looked at Ryan, "Ryan would you please ask for a tray of coffee?"

"Sure thing, Gram." Ryan left them with a nod.

"So, Bo? That's short for Ysabeau, isn't it?"

"Good guess."

Rosetta laughed. "I see. Not interested in small talk?"

Bo offered a tight smile. "Listen, I appreciate you seeing me, and I don't mean to be rude, but I'm in a little bit of a rush."

Rosetta nodded. "And my grandchildren aren't exactly making you or your friends feel welcome in Prince George." She gestured toward her cell phone. "My manager called to let me know about your encounter with Jenn."

Bo didn't respond.

Rosetta regarded her with a look of approval. "I'd heard you were as impetuous as my grand-daughter, but your actions, and your silence, indicate otherwise."

Bo shook her head. "Oh no, I can be impetuous. I can be impetuous all over Prince George; but I like to make sure my friends aren't in the line of fire before I go all succubus on a town."

Rosetta's eyes twinkled. "Any other time, we'd get along fabulously, Bo. Unfortunately, the lines are drawn in such a way that it's difficult to offer you much support." She reached into a drawer and pulled out a worn, leather bound journal. She opened it and placed it in front of Bo. From a second drawer she took out a small bottle of ink and a quill pin and placed them within Bo's reach. "I was a friend to your mother, once. She signed that book twenty-six years ago. You have her eyes."

Bo's hand faltered as she dipped the pen into the inkwell and she looked up to find Rosetta watching her with a kind expression.

"You knew my mother?"

"Quite well. She spoke of you often during her time in Prince George."

A knock at the door interrupted further conversation and Rosetta gestured for Bo to finish the signing.

"Come in."

Nadia entered with a serving tray. "Mathieu asked me to bring coffee."

"Yes, Nadia, thank you. Unfortunately my guest won't be staying, but, please, leave it on the table there; I'll have a cup a later."

Nadia moved to the table, casting a curious glance at Bo as she set out the service.

Rosetta took the book and inkwell and placed them back in the drawers. She stood and held her hand out to Bo. "Well met, Ysabeau. I can't promise much, but take my card and give me a call should you need help while here."

Bo shook her hand and took the card. "Thank you, Rosetta."

"Nadia? Please show Bo out."

Nadia waited for Bo at the door and motioned the woman to precede her out of the office.

Once in the hallway, Nadia searched Bo's face as if trying to remember something. She shook her head quickly after a few seconds and sighed. "So. You and Lauren?"

"Not exactly. No. It's difficult to explain."

Nadia snorted. "You're talking to the ex-girlfriend who was in a coma for five years. Tell me about difficult explanations!"

"Nadia, I'm not sure what happened between you and Lauren; but I do know she cares deeply for you and wants you to be safe."

"Yeah? Well, likewise. What the hell happened a few minutes ago between you guys and Jenn—and what did you do to Lauren? She looked drugged when your intern left with her."

Bo winced. "She's…in shock, I think. This case is a difficult one and seeing you and then seeing Jenn kiss you…" Bo rambled, fully aware she was digging a hole but unable to stop herself. "Well. And the jet lag. I think it all caught up to her. Kenzi took her to get some rest."

Nadia looked doubtful.

The door to The Dal opened and Ryan stuck his head into the hallway. "Bo? You coming?"

Bo looked at Nadia. "An outsider's view? Jenn seems awfully possessive. Be careful, Nadia." She turned to Ryan. "Coming."

Ryan held the door open for both of them. "Jenn said she had to get back to work, but to tell you it was a real pleasure meeting you. Nadia, she said she'd give you a call later this afternoon to see how you were doing."

"Thanks." Nadia turned to Bo, "I've got to get back to work. Tell Lauren I hope she feels better."

Ryan watched her go to the front of the store. "Great girl, don't you think?" He turned back to Bo, "How'd it go with Rosetta?"

Bo sighed. Ryan had seemed so uncomplicated at first. Now he just seemed smarmy and a little unbalanced.

"Good—she was really good. Ryan, we need to talk. Thank you for bringing us here. I wish you'd given us a little more information ahead of time, but I appreciate it nonetheless." She stepped up and fingered his collar. "All the same, I think you and I just aren't going to work out."

He grinned, "I agree, Bo." He held his hands up. "It's not you, it's me. To tell the truth, it's been distracting all of these sexual encounters. I have my work to focus on; for the good of all Fae." He winked at her. "I'm headed back East this afternoon. I trust you three will take care of yourselves?" He turned toward the door and threw back over his shoulder, "Let Lochlyn know when you want his jet to pick you up." He got to the door and looked at her with a sad smile. "Bo, be careful; Ajit's dangerous and you don't have many friends here. No matter what, know I want you to be safe."

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><p>an: once again, let me just say thanks for the reviews, you guys are great for the ego-I'm really pleased you're enjoying the story-now if I can only figure out a way to kill that frikkin' Garuda!...anyway back to the reviews...they are sort of like dark chocolate treats to a chocaholic (which I am happily!) and on the eve of Valentines, I wouldn't mind some chocolate! I know this chapter was a little Lauren-less...next one won't be, promise!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17.

Bo wiped sweaty palms on her jeans as she nervously approached the SUV. The back door hung open over the sidewalk and Kenzi was leaning against the side of the vehicle, Lauren's hat pushed back on her head. She straightened up once she saw Bo. "About time. I was plotting a rescue mission and it wasn't going to be pretty."

Bo gestured toward the SUV with her chin, "How is she?"

"Sleeping Beauty? Horny and pissy. If you wake her with a kiss I am out of here." She readjusted the hat. "This hat rocks!" She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked horrified. "I've been out West all of one morning and I am transfixed by hemp and hats. Save me, please, Bo!" She hugged her best friend. "When can we go home?"

Bo patted Kenzi's back, "Once we get the bad guy's skin and blood." She looked into the back seat and bit her lip to keep from smiling.

Lauren was sprawled across the seat, her shirt flapped open at the bottom exposing a belly ring that made Bo's mouth water. One hand rested at the waist of her jeans, long fingers splayed against bare skin. Bo let her eyes roam up to the doctor's face and she froze when she realized Lauren was watching her with blazing eyes.

"Uhm. Hey! You're awake."

"Surprise. See something you like?" Lauren unbuttoned two buttons of her shirt and exposed a bit more skin, "Something you think is yours for the taking, Bo? Come on, what are you waiting for?" She reached down and began to angrily unbutton the fly of her jeans. Bo twisted away from Kenzi and raised her hands in protest.

"Lauren! Stop it. I'm sorry, okay?"

"Didn't keep you from staring at me like I was a piece of meat just now, did it?" Lauren was livid. She slid out of the car and began to adjust her clothing, rebuttoning the shirt with crisp precision.

Bo protested, "You were sexy laid out like that. I can't help it…I find you damned attractive. Is that a crime?"

Kenzi groaned. "Dude. You could have said that all kinds of better. Also, I think my ears are beginning to bleed."

"Not. Helping. Kenz."

"Right, welp, kids as much fun as **this** is, I'm gonna have to go with three's a crowd, so I'll give you ten minutes to hash this out while I go see what's what on Main Street."

As she walked by, Lauren grabbed her hat. "Thief!"

Kenzi muttered, "Ingrate."

Lauren smoothed her shirt down and rolled her hat in her hands. "That wasn't fair." She gestured toward The Dal. "What you did in there." Her voice was quiet but not quite calm.

"Well. Life isn't always fair is it, Dr. Lewis?"

Lauren's eyes snapped up to find Bo regarding her with a guarded expression. Bo continued. "Nadia was concerned for your well-being. She asked that I tell you she hoped you feel better."

Lauren's face registered guilt. "She was concerned for me?" She looked up at the sky and gulped in a lung full of air. She shook her head and seemed genuinely bewildered.

Bo pressed on. "Lauren, why didn't Nadia remember me or Kenzi?"

Lauren looked down at her shoes, the guilt on her face an admission as loud as any words. "You're a smart woman, Bo. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Bo shook her head. "You don't get off that easy. Talk to me."

"I gave her enough drugs to wipe out any memory of the last two weeks. Hell. I gave her enough drugs to wipe out most of her memories of our time in the Congo." Lauren met Bo's gaze. "And I'd do it again."

"How is that different from what I did to you?"

Lauren took a step back. She opened her mouth, but it was covered over by Bo's finger as the woman closed the distance between them and backed Lauren against the SUV.

"No. Don't talk. Listen. You made the choice for Nadia. You didn't give her a choice. For all I know you are still head over heels in love with her and sacrificed your own happiness for her freedom!" Lauren's head started shaking but Bo stilled her with a pulse of energy that made her breath hitch. Lauren licked her lips furtively and her eyes darted to Bo's lips. Bo stepped back and let the energy between them disappear in the air.

Lauren gasped at the abrupt loss. "What the _fuck_?"

"I made a snap decision to use my powers in there for your own good. For **your** safety. Jenn was goading you into a fight that you would not have won. I have no idea what she's capable of. I asked you to calm down, but she wouldn't let you. So I did what I had to. To keep you safe." She stepped toward Lauren again, but made no attempt to touch her. "And I'd do it again." She let out a humorless laugh. "It's not too different from climbing into bed with me at the behest of the Ash."

Lauren looked as though she'd been struck. She dipped her head in shame.

"All clear?" Kenzi called, and then stomped her feet when she saw the defensive body language of both women. "Shit. See? This girl-on-girl thing just comes with way too much baggage. Guys are so much easier to deal with. Sex, food, a little gaming now and then. That's all they need."

Lauren avoided Bo's eyes when she took the manila folder from her hands. She climbed into the back seat. "Let's just get this over with."

Bo clenched her hands in exasperation and let out a low growl. She wanted to pick Lauren up and sit her down and make her talk, but she knew that pushing further would only serve to shut her down. The woman was so damned frustrating!

She grabbed the keys from Kenzi and muttered, "Do. Not. Make any wisecracks. I am so not in the mood." She headed for the driver's side.

Kenzi remained stationary for a few seconds. "I beg to differ. If you were any more in the mood the whole world would explode in an angry orgasm and we wouldn't have to worry about the Garud-dudes." She turned to the SUV muttering, "I'm **so** lucky to be the perky sidekick to a love-sick succubus."

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><p>an: Happy sappy greeting card day everyone! )


	18. Chapter 18

a/n: So sorry for the interruption in posting-work and life beckoned. And, because there are bills to pay and pets to feed, I went! ;) Anyway, onward and forward! Hope you enjoy

* * *

><p>Chapter 18.<p>

"Are you sure?" Bo held the phone away from her ear as a shrill squawking spilled into the interior of the vehicle. "Ok, ok! I believe you tried, honestly, it's alright. We'll manage. Thanks, Sophie." She disconnected the call and tossed the phone on the dash. "Damn it!"

Kenzi snagged the phone. "Dude. Show some love for the technology. It's our only connection to civilization. Who is Sophie and why are we just managing?"

"Apparently, Sophie is Lochlyn's new assistant and we are just managing to share one hotel room between the three of us." Bo glanced in the rear view mirror as she answered, looking for Lauren's reaction. All she saw was an almost imperceptible shake of the head, as the doctor continued to study the police folder.

Kenzi, on the other hand, turned her whole body toward Bo and sputtered, "What? Didn't FangFace give you a credit card? Cause, I am *so* not up for bearing witness to the incredible make-up sex you two are obviously headed for."

Lauren rattled the papers she was clutching. "Oh, grow up, Kenzi!"

"Not exactly a denial, Dr. Darkeyes."

"Kenz, shut up." Bo pulled into a parking lot. "Apparently, we hit Prince George during the high season. Only one hotel room left when Sophie made the arrangements, but the good news is that we get twenty dollars of credits for the slots at the casino."

"The Treasure Cove?" Kenzi groaned, squinting at the sign. "I think my grandmother used to come here."

Bo looked in the rear view mirror again. "Any thoughts from the back seat?"

Lauren looked up with a frown. "Tonight's going to be the last comfortable night's sleep we get."

Kenzi waited a beat before asking, "Care to elaborate, cause you know we're just dying to hear what could possibly top a rock hard mattress and a dripping sink."

"How about a rock for a mattress and no running water?" Lauren avoided making eye contact with Bo as she continued. "Ajit is a solid ten hour hike away from the nearest trailhead. We're going to need to get some camping gear after we check in."

Kenzi's brow furrowed. "I don't camp."

Lauren corrected, "You do now."

* * *

><p>They dumped the last of their purchases on one of the beds and collapsed on the couch and spare chair at the opposite end of the room.<p>

Kenzi groaned. "I'm so tired."

Bo punched her arm, "Just think how you'll feel twenty four hours from now."

Lauren added, "At least we found some used hiking boots. It could have been much worse if we'd gone out with brand new ones."

"Between the two of you, I'm ready to slit my throat. And these boots are more like _ab_used!" She looked at her feet in disdain. "I can't believe you made me wear them out of the store. My toes will never forgive me-I feel so dirty." She sighed. "I'm going to go drown my sorrows and shoot some craps with burly lumberjacks." She hauled herself off of the couch. "Anyone coming with me, or are you going to continue to ignore one another for the rest of the day and ramp up the sexual tension to the boiling point?"

Lauren picked up her duffel and moved toward the bathroom. "I'm going for a run and then I'm going to take a shower."

Kenzi gave Bo a sympathetic grin. "No makeup nooky for the succubus. Someone is expending their sexual energy in boring ways."

Lauren glared at Kenzi before she slammed the bathroom door.

Bo threw a pillow at her best friend. "Nice, Kenzi." She sighed and squirmed uncomfortably. "I'm hungry."

Kenzi snorted. "You? No! I'm shocked. Shocked." She shook her head. "If you aren't planning to consult a medical professional for your problem, then you'd better come with me. I'm sure we can find a yummy snack."

A loud thump in the bathroom was followed by a muttered curse and Kenzi grinned mischievously, "Walls are a little thin." She raised her voice, "Don't wait up, Doc! We're off to see the sights and have a little din-din."

Bo objected, "I don't think-"

She was cut off by Kenzi's frantic signaling. "Shhh. I'm intensifying the sulk. You will be rewarded, believe me." She grabbed Bo's arm and tugged her toward the door. She spoke conversationally, but loud enough so that Lauren could not miss, "Besides, we need you in tip top condition tomorrow and a growing girl has got needs to feed!"

As they walked down the hall, Bo admonished Kenzi, "You shouldn't have done that."

"Right? I know. But, hey. What's a bestie for?" She chucked Bo on the shoulder, "I got your back."

"No, Kenzi. You don't understand, I don't want to argue with Lauren anymore."

"Cause you lurrve her!"

Bo growled and Kenzi sobered up. She hadn't seen her friend this conflicted since Dyson had rejected her. "Bo. Come on. You can't seriously wonder how Lauren feels? Have you *seen* how she looks at you?"

Bo felt her lips curl in an involuntary smile, "You think so?"

Kenzi shook her head in mock disgust. "Hunger makes you stupid."

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Bo's hunger was satisfied, but her desire was unquenched. Her thoughts kept returning to Lauren and she decided to call it a night. She wandered back to the casino to find Kenzi. She didn't have to wander long before she heard her best friend's excited gloating.<p>

"I am on fire! Oh, yeah! Uh-huh-uh-huh-wha-wha!"

Bo turned down an aisle of slots and watched as Kenzi choreographed a surprisingly complex set of dance moves while seated at a slot machine that was merrily paying out a jackpot. Two ladies, who appeared to be in their seventies, sat at flanking machines and regarded Kenzi's jubilation with stoic resentment.

She whirled around in her swivel seat and raised her hands, expecting the women to high-five her in congratulations. When they didn't she stuck her tongue out at them and said, "You've got to celebrate everyone else's victories before you can expect your own fortune to bloom."

"Are you quoting fortune cookies again?" Bo asked with a grin.

Kenzi whirled around with a whoop of victory, "Bo! Look at me, storming the house and taking no prisoners!"

Bo squinted at the slot machine and chuckled. "Kenz, you're playing penny slots."

"And I just scored five big ones!" She looked at the ladies on either side, "Don't be getting ideas, this baby is mine, and she's hot!" She stroked the console tenderly. "I love you, Penny." She looked back at Bo and winked, "And who do you love, Bo-Bo?"

"You, for one, Kenz!" She shook her head, "And I'm calling it a night—don't lose all your money."

"No worries, me and my posse, Florence and Joyce, are gonna hit the nickels next, maybe take on a little Up the River. We could own this place by sunrise!" Kenzi playfully swatted the two ladies on their knees.

"So long as you remember tomorrow is going to be a rough day—don't stay out too late."

Kenzi resumed her celebratory dance, "I can sleep on the way to the trailhead. Tonight, I am invincible!"

Florence leaned back and whistled to get Joyce's attention, "I'll bet you a toonie she loses it all inside of an hour."

Joyce shook her head, "Can't do it, I think she's burning in thirty minutes."

As Bo was walking away she heard Kenzi's hurt reply, "And I thought we were bonding."


	19. Chapter 19

a/n: thanks so much for all the reviews! You guys rock-and I appreciate your feedback! I can't tell you how gratifying it's been to hear that my Kenzi seems solid, because I was most daunted by that character! Next week calls for some work travel again, so I may not be making daily updates, but I'll try! I'm invested in seeing how this all turns out too! ;)

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><p>Chapter 19.<p>

Lauren was sitting on the couch with a set of maps and the contents of the manila folder spread out on the coffee table when Bo entered the room. Her hair was damp from the shower and her face still had the ruddy complexion of exercise. An empty water bottle, half-empty beer and a take-out pizza box were on the floor near Lauren's feet. She acknowledged Bo's entrance with a curt nod and a wave toward the food.

"No thanks, I'm full." Bo airily replied. She moved to the dresser where five bottles of beer were nestled in an ice bucket, "But I could use a beer." She pried off the bottle top and watched Lauren curiously. The tightened jaw told her that she'd scored a direct hit with the admission that she'd fed.

Bo sighed. She honestly had no idea how to address Lauren's anger and she knew that it was petty and childish to continue to goad her. All the same, she didn't feel as though she'd done anything wrong when she'd used her abilities to keep Lauren safe.

"Damn." The realization hit her like a hammer and she leaned back against the dresser with a thud.

Lauren looked up quickly, "Are you okay?"

"Aside from the fact that I'm not very bright? Yes." Bo moved to the chair and took a seat. "I need to apologize."

Lauren hunched forward toward the coffee table. "I don't want to talk about this."

"No. Not about today. I'm sorry about being so stupid before. With Vex and The Ash. I was wrong to stay angry with you for so long."

Lauren's face was almost unreadable due to the quick succession of emotions that seemed to play over her features, but Bo was certain she saw a pleased smile of understanding before Lauren shook her head and a serious look slid into place.

She gestured toward the table, "We have bigger issues to worry about."

Bo's eyes narrowed and she felt fresh anger bubble to the surface. "Lauren? I'm trying to tell you I'm sorry."

Lauren kept her eyes focused on the map. "Bo, we don't really have time for that. We need—you need—to understand what we're up against tomorrow. As Jenn so kindly pointed out, Ajit is not exactly going to hold out his wrist for us to take samples. We need a plan." She pointed to a large green mass on one of the maps. "This wilderness area has four times the provincial average for fatal bear attacks. The Fae police folder attributes those deaths to Ajit."

"At the moment, I could care less about Ajit, Lauren. Are you serious that you don't want to come to some sort of understanding about this?" Bo rose and walked around the room as she talked. Lauren's unflappable attitude was incredibly irksome.

Lauren sat calmly and watched Bo pace. "Look, there's no need to apologize. It was a long time ago. We're past that."

"Are we? Because if we were you wouldn't have been so pissed off at me earlier today for doing the same thing to you."

"No. Bo, I didn't force you to do anything you weren't willing to do that night! But you took all of the choice away from me today—you manipulated my feelings without any regard for my-"

"I manipulated your feelings for your safety!" Bo interrupted. "Why can't you get that through your head?"

"I understand your intentions—but I didn't like the lack of control and I can't just get past that in one afternoon."

"Oh—I get it now! **That's** what this is all about—your lack of control! It's all fine so long as you're the one in charge."

Lauren's eyes flashed with anger. "Right. Because I've had so much autonomy these past five years!"

Bo shook her head, "You hide behind that necklace and all that it stands for awfully well, Lauren. But no one disputes your authority in the lab, or on your advice to the Ash—hell, we are all operating under your plan completely right now—harvesting Lochlyn's venom, spraying that foul smelling cologne all over me, sampling Ajit; it's all your idea. It's when things go off your track that you shut down. It makes total sense now how Nadia's curse caused you to become an emotional iceberg."

She grabbed her bag and stormed to the bathroom. "Go ahead and make whatever plans you need to for our 'grand adventure'. I'll be there with bells on. But for now? I'm taking a shower and getting some sleep."

Lauren sat very still for a moment and bit her lip to keep the threatening tears at bay.

Bo was right.

And Bo was wrong.

If only things were as simple as Bo thought. But the world was not black and white and actions had consequences. The truth was Lauren very much liked to be in control—who didn't?

But, whether Bo saw it or not, the last five years had been about losing control and maintaining balance. While everything of importance felt completely beyond her grasp, Lauren had created a microenvironment where what she did and what she said mattered. It was the only way she had survived the years trying to find a cure for Nadia. It was how she weathered the long months of isolation as a lowly human in a world where the Fae ruled. Her lab and her work were all that she had control over. And she managed them very well; she took pride in that. It was the reason she had a relatively long leash; but in the end, she was still bound. And there was no control in that.

She reached up and wiped the tears that had stubbornly begun to work their way down her face.

Then Bo had come along, just when Lauren thought she'd lost the capacity for passion. Bo hadn't been too far off when she'd called her an iceberg, though that was a barb that stung. Lauren certainly didn't feel like an iceberg when Bo had used her powers to restrain her earlier. In fact, molten lava didn't quite describe the heat she felt at Bo's touch.

When Bo had fed from her, Lauren felt violated—angry that she resorted to such an intimate action in front of so many people. She understood the motive and, truth be told, she was grateful that the situation had been resolved without injury to anyone. But, still, she'd always hoped that when Bo finally fed from her it would be in the midst of lovemaking—not conflict resolution.

Bo came out of the bathroom and a blast of steam wafted into the bedroom. Without a glance at Lauren, she climbed into the bed farthest away from the couch and turned toward the wall.

Lauren could feel the anger coming off her in waves. She sighed. Bo was right. She did like to be in control, but this time she may have gone too far.

She looked at the map again. Ajit's location could be anywhere in that swath of wilderness. It could take weeks to find him. Weeks they did not have.

It had occurred to her while she was out running that they could use Bo's anger to their advantage. If Garuda fed on anger and terror then why not call him to them by stoking his appetite? The only trouble was that she couldn't tell Bo about her plan, because she needed Bo to be genuinely angry.

She looked at Bo's back and sighed again. Bo was angry now; but she was going to be livid when she found out what Lauren was up to. Hopefully that wouldn't happen until Ajit was taken care of.

And then Lauren would have a lot of explaining to do.


	20. Chapter 20

a/n: okay, some of you may hate me after last chapter which was so angsty I almost tore out my own hair (at least in my angst-o-meter); so this chapter is a bit of a reprieve-but the angst! returns! next chapter! ;)

* * *

><p>Chapter 20.<p>

"A large double-double, an apple fritter and a heavy duty jacket, cause, dude, it's cold in this car!" Kenzi requested as Bo queued up at a drive-thru the next morning. She looked at the two women in the front seat pointedly, sighed and muttered, "Joyce and Flo were more fun and they're like eight hundred years old."

Lauren twisted around, "You weren't gambling with leprechauns, were you?"

Kenzi snorted. "Uhm….I didn't see any pots of gold, but they were lugging around pretty big purses." Lauren's brow furrowed and Kenzi laughed. "No, Dr. Literal, they weren't really eight hundred years old. More like seventy and both retired schoolteachers from Thunder Bay. Plus, their hair was blue not red."

The car inched forward and a perky voice asked for their order. Bo relayed Kenzi's breakfast request, then her own coffee and bagel and revved the engine. Lauren leaned over and hurriedly asked for a small coffee and oatmeal with a glare at Bo, who shot forward just as she finished ordering.

"Do leprechauns really exist?" Kenzi asked.

"Yes, and you should never bet them anything."

Kenzi mulled this over. "Hmm. Joyce did have a bit of a brogue. And she never seemed to run out of pennies. Huh."

Bo handed out their breakfast and pulled to the side before exiting the parking lot. "Where am I going?"

Lauren finished entering the last of the coordinates in the GPS and suctioned the display to the windshield. "I figure you'll take directions from something else better than me, so let the tom-tom tell you where to go."

Bo clenched her jaw. "Fine. Don't spill your coffee." She gunned the engine just as Lauren was getting ready to take a sip.

"Nice." Lauren deftly balanced her coffee without spilling a drop. "But you'll have to do better."

"Dammit!" Bo slapped the steering wheel as she looked in the rearview mirror.

Kenzi groaned. "Dude, you should never drive mad."

A siren blipped to accompany the flashing lights and Bo eased the SUV to the curb with a glare at Lauren who was busily looking anywhere other than Bo.

"Check the glove box for insurance and registration."

"At least it's local and not the RCMP." Kenzi observed, "May not go on your record."

The officer approached and Kenzi groaned again. "On second thought, too bad it's local."

Jenn knocked on the window and saluted Bo with a grin as the glass slid down.

"I'd ask where you're off to in such a hurry, but I think I know the answer." She looked past Bo. "Good morning, Doctor." She stepped back. "Why don't you unlock all of the doors and step out of the vehicle, Bo?"

"Is that really necessary?"

"If I say so, it really is."

Bo sighed and opened the door. "Fine. Whatever." She pushed the automatic unlock button as she exited the SUV.

"I'll need the both of you to remain in the vehicle." Jenn advised Lauren and Kenzi. "No sudden moves."

She walked Bo to the rear of the vehicle and asked her to open the rear hatch. She surveyed the backpacks that filled the cargo space. "Camping?"

"Looks like it."

She lifted one of the backpacks. "Pretty heavy."

"That's mine."

"I see. Careful you don't throw out your back hoisting it along."

"Why, Jenn, I didn't know you cared."

She laughed. "Oh, I really don't. But Gran says you just might save the world if you're successful with Ajit, so I guess I should." She pulled out her ticket book. "After all, I'm planning a summer vacation with Nadia so I hope the earth is still spinning then." She held her hand out, "Now, about that license and registration."

Five minutes later, Bo got in the car and shoved the ticket onto the dash.

Jenn poked her head in the window. "Remember, you can either mail that in or show up in court on the designated date." She grinned at Lauren. "Doc, you take care out there in the wilderness."

Bo rolled the window up without a word and Jenn ambled back toward her patrol car. Bo put the car in drive and carefully merged back onto the road.

The GPS sprang to life. "Recalculating route. Destination in 258 kilometers."

Kenzi sighed. "Wake me up when we're all happy, m'kay?"

* * *

><p>"So if a bear charges you want me to wait til it gets within two meters and then spray this in its eyes?" Kenzi held up a small can of pepper spray attached to an elastic wrist bracelet. "Dude. If a bear charges me, I'm in the wind."<p>

"A great way to get yourself killed. Bears love to run for their food." Bo winked, "Keeps the weight off."

Lauren stifled a smile. "We probably don't need to worry about bears or mountain lions, but the pepper spray is at least some protection. We could always sing."

"Oh, I don't think so, Mary Poppins." Kenzi gestured at herself, "This one does not sing in public." She slipped the pepper spray onto her wrist and began to buckle her pack. "How does this thing work again?"

Lauren stepped in front of Kenzi and began to make sense of the network of straps. "Didn't you pay attention yesterday when Josh demonstrated the proper way to wear a backpack?"

"In a word? No. In several words? I was in shock for my feet." She pointed at the broken-in hiking boots.

"But this makes it all worth it, doesn't it?" She spun Kenzi around and rummaged in one of the zippered pouches and pulled out a straw hat. "You'll need to shape it, but it should keep your face protected from the sun."

Kenzi squealed. "For me?"

Lauren turned to find Bo watching them with a smile which was hurriedly replaced with an expression of indifference.

She gestured toward Bo's pack. "There's one for you, too. Front pocket."

Bo narrowed her eyes, but her lip quirked up in a half smile. "Thanks."

While they were shaping their hats, Lauren got out a spray bottle and started spritzing Bo's legs.

"Good God, what is that smell?" Kenzi coughed and wrinkled her nose.

Lauren tilted her head as she continued to spray a squirming Bo. "I like to call it Muskrat Love."

"Funny. Real funny." Bo waved her hands in front of her face. "Did you buy a bandana so I can at least gag myself?"

"Nope."

"You are hiking downwind."

She handed the spray bottle to Bo. "You'll need to reapply every six hours." She slipped her arms through the last backpack and cinched up quickly.

Kenzi watched her curiously. "You look like you've done that before."

"Yep." Lauren took a deep breath. "It's been awhile, but I love backpacking."

"So, what? We just walk 'til we find Ajit?" Kenzi asked. "Cause that seems pretty optimistic."

Lauren smiled. Kenzi was amazingly practical when it came down to it. "Something like that." She pulled the map from her back pocket and spread it on the hood of the SUV. Kenzi drew near but Bo hung back a bit, a look of irritation settling on her features.

"See here?" She pointed out a series of neat X's dotting the wilderness area. "These are the most concentrated areas of official bear fatalities in the entire province." She pointed to a darker green area that was located within that hot zone. "And this is a network of caverns. The Fae police seem to think this is where Ajit lives." She pointed to a much wider spread series of X's. "These are also fatalities officially attributed to bear attacks, but the Fae police also suspect Ajit probably committed."

Kenzi grunted. "That's a big area, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Bo's finger landed on the darker green area—the caverns. "Is that where you're thinking we should go?"

Lauren nodded. "Yes. But, given the timing of the attacks in different areas, it's really a crap shoot. To get here," she put her hand over Bo's finger and squeezed gently, "will take us at least 10 hours solid hiking. We can make camp just south of the location if we're lucky."

Bo nodded. "We'd best get to it, then."

Kenzi curled her lip good-naturedly. "The leprechauns were less demanding friends."

Lauren smiled. She knew she had to provoke Bo's anger as they neared Ajit's territory—and she hoped the reclusive Garuda would be within range when they got there; but for now, she was loathe to sour Bo's partial thawing. It was a beautiful day for a hike and by God, she planned to enjoy at least a part of it.


	21. Chapter 21

**a/n: sorry for the delay-once again, thanks so much for the very kind comments-they are much appreciated!**

**Chapter 21.**

"Unless I can smoke it and get a nice long buzz, I'm going to gag Swiss Family Laurenson with the next 'really cool' herb she shows us." Kenzi grumbled as they made their way along the dense trail.

Ahead, Lauren moved steadily, her head swiveling as she studied the plant life on either side. Occasionally they would hear a scientific name blurted out or watch her pluck a leaf and stick it in her mouth. She'd stopped offering the edible plants to them an hour before, when Bo had a sneezing fit over a particularly strong Monarda.

"Your girl's got her geek factor in high gear."

Bo narrowed her eyes, "She's not 'my girl', Kenzi."

"Uh-huh. Right. She's your something, that's for sure."

"Perfoliata!" Lauren's excited voice was muffled and they realized she was off the trail and into the forest some distance from their location.

"If she starts hacking a trail through the underbrush I am so done." Kenzi looked around trying to locate their nature guide.

"Lauren? Where are you?" Bo called.

"Down here! There's a stream."

They navigated by sound and found Lauren crouched near a fast moving creek. She was filling a container with water and waved for them to sit on a nearby log. "Refreshments coming up in a few minutes."

Kenzi moaned as she unbuckled the pack and let it drop. "Make mine a double." She gingerly stretched up on her toes and sucked in a quick breath. "These boots have screwed my body mechanics."

Bo laughed, "I thought it was wearing heels that causes problems, not NOT wearing them."

"Nurture over nature." Lauren snapped the filter in place and began the process of removing fine silt from the glacier water. "Kenzi's done a fine job of changing the natural design of the lower leg through habitual use of high heeled shoes." She nodded toward her pack, "Front pocket there's a big bottle of ibuprofen. You might want to take three of them to minimize any swelling. Bo, you should take some too."

"Yeah. Well, to be fair, I am not in my natural habitat. I consider high heels a practical tool for survival. Also, I feel short without them. You two are freakishly not short."

As Bo rummaged through the pocket, Lauren pulled out a small UV wand and stirred the filtered water. Kenzi settled on the log with a groan. "Does that turn water into wine? Because that's some medicine I'd happily take about now."

Lauren smiled. "It's a purifier—makes sure you don't ingest any harmful bacteria or protozoa."

"You freak me out." Kenzi mumbled, but gratefully accepted the cup of water Lauren poured from the treated batch. She swallowed the pills Bo handed her and watched as both Lauren and Bo did the same. "I mean, what are you not good at? Oh, wait, I know, interpersonal communications of a non-science-y nature."

Lauren stiffened. "Gee, you're welcome for the water and the drugs, Ms. Armchair Psychologist."

Kenzi grinned but kept uncharacteristically quiet.

Lauren looked at her watch. "I don't think we're as far along as we'd hoped."

Bo pulled out the map. Lauren had turned it over a few hours into their hike when Bo turned out to be surprisingly nimble with pinpointing their location. She checked the coordinates and pointed to their position. "Looks like we have a few more hours to the point you wanted to camp."

Lauren squinted to the sky, "We don't have enough sunlight to make it."

Kenzi added, "I'm totally not into putting that torture pack back on again today."

Bo looked around. "Well, looks like we're home for the evening. Not too bad, we have water, good trees and a relatively open clearing for cooking."

"I agree." Lauren looked at Kenzi. "I'll make you a deal. You filter three more batches of water for drinking and washing and I'll put up your hammock."

"Done." Kenzi moved to stand. "Ow-ow-owowow."

Bo laughed. "You stopped moving. That was the mistake."

"I beg to differ; I'm thinking starting to move again is where I went wrong. I am not built for nature."

An hour later, there were three lightweight hammocks strung in a triangular pattern and water was on for dinner when Lauren came back to the clearing with an armful of plants. She set about washing and preparing them while Bo added boiling water to the freeze-dried mac and cheese packaged dinners at Kenzi's direction.

Ten minutes later, when they had collapsible plates full of food Kenzi asked, "So, what exactly are we eating?" She looked at the mess of greens doubtfully.

"The salad is your run-of-the-mill wild lettuce, perfoliata. It's nothing special, but pretty healthy, and a tasty side dish to the main course, if I do say so myself. The tea is brewed from fleabane. It should help muscle soreness. We're all likely to be stiff tomorrow morning—this may reduce some of the discomfort." She took a sip and tried to stifle a grimace at the bitter taste. "I think I made it a little too strong."

"That's all right, I needed a little hair on my chest." Bo wheezed playfully. She coughed.

Lauren looked alarmed. "Wait. Do you have really bad seasonal allergies?"

"So-so. Why?" Bo lifted the cup to take another sip and sputtered when Lauren knocked the cup from her hand. "What the hell?"

"Damn it! Are you itching anywhere?" Lauren pulled a flashlight from her back pocket and moved to Bo's side.

"A little. Hey. Look, I have a rash."

Lauren muttered an inaudible curse. "I can't believe I did that. You're wheezing. Let me get you a Benadryl." She started across the campsite and called back to Kenzi, "What about you? Ragweed allergies?"

"Nope. I don't get out enough." Kenzi slurped another sip of tea. "This is pretty tasty. Also, I think I'm getting a buzz from it." She giggled.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "I'm cutting you off after three cups. You'll sleep well." She handed Bo two tablets. "So will you. I'm so sorry."

Bo grinned. "It's not like you to miss a medical possibility."

Lauren's face was serious. "I know."

She picked up her dinner and sat quietly while she watched Bo for any adverse reactions.

Bo sniffled melodramatically and Lauren half-rose to go to her. Bo held her hand up. "I'm okay, Doctor. It's alright. Eat your dinner. Drink your brew; you should get some good sleep, too."

Two cups of tea later Lauren was more relaxed, but not showing the effects of fleabane as much as Kenzi who was already tucked into her camp hammock. She and Bo cleaned up the site and hoisted their food bag between two trees to thwart any curious bears.

Lauren poured the last of the tea into her cup and offered Bo fresh water. "Sorry again for almost sending you into anaphylactic shock." They settled down around the dying embers of their small campfire.

Bo dismissively waved her hand. "No worries. In fact, it would have saved me a helluva fight tomorrow."

Lauren leaned back on her elbows and looked up at the sky, content to ignore the coming battle with Ajit. "It's a beautiful night."

"Clear." Bo yawned.

Lauren smiled. "The Benadryl taking effect?"

Bo shook her head, "No, I think it was the six hour hike." She smiled. "You, on the other hand, seem pretty fresh. How's that possible?"

Lauren grinned. "I love camping—haven't done it for ages. I think its just adrenalin and fond memories more than anything that's kept me going strong. I'm pretty sure I'll crash hard after this is all over." Her grin faded as she thought about the implications of after.

Bo noticed her change in mood. "You okay?"

She looked wistful. "Yeah. I just…after a day like today it's easy to pretend we're out here on a regular camping trip. Like normal people."

"Instead of?"

"A succubus, a kleptomaniac goth and a slave."

Bo winced. "I hate it when you call yourself that."

Lauren tilted her head. "I guess it is a strong term—I willfully committed myself- so I'm really more an indentured servant."

"I don't like that either." Bo picked up a couple of small stones and began to roll them around in her hands. "I'm curious. Why did you recommit yourself to Lochlyn after Nadia woke up? I mean, even when you knew you were going to get her out of town?"

"I didn't think I had much of a choice. I can't imagine a life outside of the Fae." She shrugged, "What would I do? Human medicine would be such a let down."

"I don't understand why it's an all or nothing decision."

Lauren laughed. Sometimes Bo's naïveté was almost unbelievable. "Bo, a human has to be claimed. You know that. I had to align with The Ash."

Bo answered quietly. "You could align with me."

When Lauren didn't answer, Bo prodded her. "Well?"

Lauren's voice was gentle but her answer was not. "What could you give me?"

"A life with the fae. A life with me." Bo's answer was quiet and resolute. It was so sweet it almost broke Lauren's heart.

"That's a big commitment, Bo. I'm not sure either of us are ready for that."

"It works for Kenzi."

Lauren dropped her head in dismay. "I'm not exactly like Kenzi." She drank the last of her tea and let the bitterness ease down her throat. The fleabane was relaxing her inhibitions and she felt her emotions rise closer to the surface. It would be so easy to show Bo how different from Kenzi she was.

On the other hand, giving into her desires would make it more difficult to lure Ajit to their position. Lauren sighed.

"Besides, no offense, but you couldn't give me what I need."

She hated herself when she heard Bo's sharp intake of breath. She clenched her jaw and carried on. "Honestly. Think about the issues. The Dark Fae would delight in coming after me—I've made enemies during my time with the Ash. Imagine the problems that could cause you and Kenzi. Also, I wouldn't be able to carry out any meaningful work. The Clubhouse has a certain gritty charm, but it's hardly comparable to the labs and research facilities I have with Lochlyn. I'd be relegated to baking and cooking and rooting from the sidelines while you have all the fun. That doesn't really work for me."

"So you'd just rather answer to an asshole for the rest of your life?" Bo's voice was tight. "I mean, isn't it possible you could work for Lochlyn and still align with me?"

"Not likely."

"But you didn't even try, Lauren! You just gave up and threw your life away." She threw the rocks she held into the stream. "You gave up on us before we even had a chance."

Lauren's response was genuinely angry. "Give me a break, Bo. There's no us to give up on! You've no idea what you want, so you just avoid making a decision by pretending it's someone else's problem." She stood and kicked rocks and sand onto the embers, quenching the flame. "It's getting late. We need to get some sleep." She walked away without a backward glance.

"Right. You're one to talk! You never stick around to have a complete conversation. Talk about immaturity." Bo took a deep breath.

Lauren climbed into her hammock without any sign of response.

Bo clenched her hands. Honestly, she felt as though she'd just run headlong into freezing rain.

* * *

><p>In the distance, he lifted his nose to the wind. He could smell the fury of a woman scorned. His mouth watered at the promise.<p>

* * *

><p>A red light blinked on the screen. "You did well. How did you plant the transmitter?"<p>

"I slipped it into Bo's backpack when I pulled her over for speeding." Jenn smiled. "It hasn't moved for several hours. They must be camping for the night."

"They've made surprisingly good progress for city folk. I thought you said the youngest one was going to slow them down."

"I was wrong. At this pace, they'll be nearing Ajit's territory by lunch time tomorrow."

"Your preparations are complete?"

Jenn nodded. "My bag is packed. And Nadia is eager to go out on a nature photography hike tomorrow. I've promised her some good wildlife sighting."

"She still doesn't know about the Fae?"

Jenn's smile wavered. "No. I think it will be better if Dr. Lewis lets _that_ cat out of the bag."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Jenn. For all our sakes."

Jenn hugged the older woman. "I learned from the best, Gran. Trust me."

Rosetta returned her granddaughter's hug tightly. "Just be careful."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/n: at the risk of sounding like a broken record, thanks so much for the kind comments and the alerts/favorites! It warms the cockles and speeds the pen (or keyboarding as the case may be!). We're nearing the end of the journey- I can practically see the conclusion in 3/4 more chapters now!**

Chapter 22.

Kenzi's nose quivered and she rolled over in her hammock. The netting swayed ominously and she jerked awake with a squeak. "Where am I?" She looked around the campsite in confusion; dawn was just beginning to make things discernible. "What time is it? Why isn't there an alarm clock in this tree? Is that coffee or am I dreaming with my nose?"

"Shhh. Bo's still sleeping." Lauren's proximity surprised Kenzi and she flinched, causing the hammock to swing again.

"What are you, a ninja? Where did you come from?" Kenzi's whisper was not much quieter.

"I heard you stirring and figured you'd want coffee. Here." Lauren steadied the hammock and handed Kenzi a steaming cup.

"Oh my god. You're serving me coffee in bed. What's going on? Why am I so hungry?"

"I really didn't think you'd be so verbal in the morning." Lauren walked back toward the campfire. "I'm making oatmeal; when you're up and about."

Kenzi sank back into her hammock and took a sip of coffee. She could be a happy camper if the service was always this good.

* * *

><p>Lauren busied herself with the practical matters of checking her medical supplies and repacking her gear to make sure she was prepared for sampling Ajit as quickly as possible. They'd talked about it briefly while they hiked the day before. It basically came down to Bo winging it once they had Ajit's attention. Lauren was less than pleased with the plan, but she had to admit that Bo had a good track record with successful case resolutions. Of course, she came back half the time with enough injuries to take down most humans, but the result was what mattered most, right? At least, that's what Bo quipped while Lauren patched her up or heard tales of wild succubus healing sessions.<p>

She hoped the encounter with Ajit would be a little less dramatic than Bo's other adventures, but given the strength of their foe, she had a feeling it would not be. Suddenly, stoking Bo's anger no longer seemed to be such a viable plan. She had to rely on being able to quench Bo's anger very quickly in order to turn the situation to their advantage. After last night, she wasn't sure she'd be able to do that. Walking away from Bo had been the hardest thing she'd done since…well, since walking away from Bo when she took Nadia on their cross-country road trip.

No, Lauren thought, she'd well and truly screwed the pooch on this one. There was only one option left to sway Bo's emotions from anger, and that would most likely put an end to the hope of ever having a sustaining relationship with the woman she loved. It was like replaying the awful minutes after the Ash had suggested Lauren seduce Bo to keep her from going against Vex.

She knew she could rely on Bo to live in the moment. It was part of her nature. She could use that to move Bo from anger to...something other than; whether it was love or lust, she wouldn't speculate. In the end, after Bo realized what happened, it wouldn't matter. What was important was the fact that Bo would be around to realize what happened. Lauren had to make sure of that.

Lauren shook her head. It was ridiculous to think that the end of the world could be prevented by an act of seducing a succubus. Even more ridiculous to think she might be the one committing the seduction. Her mother would have been so proud. She always thought a woman's time was better spent in the bedroom. At least that's what she'd implied when she told Lauren all she needed was to keep a good man satisfied and her life would be set. Somehow, her mother might not see the humor in the immediate situation.

"Please, sir, I'll have some more." Kenzi's pitiful request broke her reverie.

"You have a lousy British accent."

"I know. But I'm hungry and I hate oatmeal, so I thought if I channeled Oliver it would be better."

Lauren couldn't stifle the smile that quirked at her lips. Kenzi was turning out to be impossibly endearing.

"You and Oliver Twist, eh?"

"You know it. We have a lot in common. Plus, with my curves, I played the part in Grade Twelve. Uhm…you aren't putting any freshly cultivated plants in that, are you?"

"Just some wild blueberries, but if you'd rather have a Power Bar?"

"No. No, no. I can handle blueberries. Really? You're like that guy from tv…the one that makes bombs from chewing gum foil?"

"MacGyver? I hardly think a working knowledge of edible plants is worthy of such an honor. And why do you know about bad 80's television shows? I'm a geek; I'm supposed to know about such arcane pop knowledge. You, on the other hand, should not."

Kenzi smiled shyly. The doc was beginning to grow on her.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Kenzi asked, "Why is Bo still asleep? She never sleeps later than me unless she's had a –wait! Did you guys do the bow-chica-wow-wow? In a hammock? Cause, I need some lessons if you're able to pull that off without wrapping yourselves up like a luuuurve cocoon."

"Just when I'm beginning to like you, you have to go and say something like luuuurve."

"Aww. I'm precocious, but cute."

"No and Bo and I did not. She's just sleeping off the Benadryl."

"Uh-huh." Kenzi tilted her head and looked from Lauren to the lump in Bo's hammock. "Oh, my god. Did you two fight again? You've been at each other's throats or wanting into each other's panties this whole trip! Is there no happy medium?"

The lump groaned. "Do you have to be so talkative in the morning, Kenzi?"

"Quick, give me a cup of that coffee-she needs it pronto. I have a feeling we'll all be happier to have good Bo on the trail. Bad Bo is a bitch."

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you, we go this way." Bo pointed to the right.<p>

Lauren squinted at the map. "I don't think so." She pointed to the left, "It's that way."

"I'm following the one that has the most potential for surviving a Garuda attack." Kenzi shifted her body so she was pointed toward Bo.

"Nice." Lauren grunted. "Alright. Whatever you say. But if we aren't at the peak within an hour you'll know I was right."

Bo started walking up the trail without a word.

"Damn. She's pissed for sure, Dr. Killjoy. What did you say to her last night?"

Lauren silently brushed past her and followed in Bo's wake.

"Great. Leave the weakest one in the back. I get it."

* * *

><p>Sixty-five minutes later when Bo pulled out the map again, Lauren couldn't resist. "There may be a way to short-cut back to the original path."<p>

"No. I'm telling you, we're going the right way." Bo insisted in a tight voice. "It's just a little further up. The GPS coordinates verify it."

"So, what happens when we get to the top?" Kenzi asked.

"We go down; the caverns are in the valley."

A loud thrumming interrupted their conversation and Bo peered up through the trees. "Helicopter."

"They're flying awfully low."

"Tourists." Lauren signaled for Bo to lead on. "They'll snap a few pictures at a low altitude and then buzz over the next mountaintop."

* * *

><p>Jenn tapped the helicopter door and flashed thumbs up at the pilot. She turned and covered her head with her jacket to keep the dust from pelting her in the face. Nadia did the same, and the chopper lifted up and turned back toward Prince George.<p>

They'd landed at the summit of the trail that Bo was navigating. Jenn had been tracking their progress since daybreak and had fed the coordinates to the pilot once they'd gotten underway while Nadia rearranged her lenses and cameras.

"So, we just call when we're ready to go home?" Nadia asked. She'd hiked this area before, but had never come with just a light daypack. She was a little nervous at the prospect of being this far from civilization without more extensive supplies.

"No worries, we're all set." Jenn patted a zippered pocket that stowed her cell phone. "It's just you, me and the wildlife." She checked her watch. Bo, Lauren and Kenzi should be cresting any time. "Why don't you get your camera out while I scout out some trails for signs of wildlife?"

Obligingly, Nadia began to rummage in her pack. As she did so, she watched Jenn move around the clearing. There were two or three trails that emptied onto the summit from different directions. She smiled when she saw Jenn pluck a wildflower and smell it. Her smile grew larger when the woman returned to her with the flower. "For you."

Jenn tucked the bloom behind Nadia's ear and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm so glad you're finally back where you belong, Nadia."

Nadia smiled. She had been pleasantly surprised when Jenn had shown so much interest in her return to Prince George. Things were still a bit surreal; after all it seemed as though she'd been in the Congo only a week ago, and Jenn's reminder that so much time had passed caught her off guard; but she was glad to be home. She still felt a little bereft without Lauren, but she knew that the woman she'd ridden cross country with was not the same woman she'd fallen in love with all those years ago when she was a photo journalism major and Lauren was finishing her medical degree. This new Lauren was reserved to the point of impersonal. To be fair though, she had to admit that five years was a long time and it would be unrealistic to think that Lauren had put her love life in a coma as well. Especially after seeing her with Bo.

Nadia snapped the lens in place. There was something about Bo that was eating at Nadia. She seemed familiar, but in a really unsettling way.

She shook her head. Enough of that. Today was a beautiful day and she was going to remember what it was like to capture the moment in a million different ways. She glanced at the position of the sun and scouted the clearing for a fitting subject. Jenn was crouched at a trailhead peering into the forest. Nadia smiled and began to click away as she approached.

"I told you so!"

A triumphant voice came from the other side of the clearing and both Jenn and Nadia turned to see three women come off a small trail into the sunlight. Nadia almost dropped her camera when she recognized the trio. Jenn touched her elbow, "Sorry. The day's not going to be quite what you expected." She nudged her forward.

The three women were bickering as Jenn and Nadia came closer. Kenzi was the first to see them.

"Guys." She motioned to Bo and Lauren. "We have company."

They turned and Lauren gasped.

Jenn smiled. "Well, now. Imagine running into you up here."


	23. Chapter 23

**a/n: y'know: I'm digging the gang here-thanks very much for the kind words and encouragement. Hope you enjoy...insert evil laugh here**

**Chapter 23.**

Lauren felt rooted to the spot. She squinted in the bright sunlight and readjusted her hat to make sure she wasn't seeing things. _Nadia, here? What the hell was Jenn up to?_

Bo took a step forward, "Jenn, what the hell are you up to?"

Lauren blinked.

Nadia limply held her camera and looked from Lauren to Jenn, a stunned expression on her face. "Jenn, did you know they were here?"

Jenn had the good grace to look slightly abashed at Nadia's question and demeanor. "Well. Yes. But, there's a reason." She took a deep breath. "We're here to help you catch Ajit."

"What?" A chorus of four voices responded.

Nadia's voice continued in solo, "What is Ajit?"

Lauren started forward, but felt Bo's hand on her arm. "Easy." Bo warned quietly. "Don't put yourself in danger."

"I'm okay. Please, let me go."

Bo dropped her hand but walked in step with Lauren as she approached Jenn and Nadia. Kenzi trailed behind trying her best to look menacing.

Lauren addressed the Loki, but watched Nadia. "What have you told her, Jenn?"

"Not much. I figured I'd let you do the honors. After all, you're the reason she lost five years."

Lauren felt her hands clench, but she took a deep breath to reign in her anger. "I can't believe you would bring her here without telling her the danger."

Nadia's eyes grew large. "Danger?" She drew herself up and glared at them all. "Somebody just tell me what the fuck is going on! I'm sick and tired of feeling like I'm the only one who doesn't know the whole story. I don't care who, but someone talk now!"

Lauren dropped her head. "Nadia. It's just…complicated. I didn't tell you, because I didn't think you'd ever need to know. In fact, it would have been safer if you never had any idea of this."

A piercing scream sounded and all of the women crouched. It was an awful sound and there was no mistaking the threat it conveyed.

Jenn whistled. "Damn. You must be working up some powerful anger, Doc; we're going to have to talk fast. I figured we'd have at least a couple of hours before we got Ajit's interest." She looked at Nadia. "In light of new information—namely, the fact that we are a lot closer to something a lot more dangerous than you expected—let me take over." She held her hands out. "Nadia, you need to try and listen to this with an open mind and try to control your anger. This thing they are tracking: Ajit, feeds off of anger and fear and he's a little too close for comfort now."

Nadia gritted her teeth. "Jenn, I'm trying hard not to be angry, but my sense of ignorance is not helping."

"Right. Okay. Well. Here it is." She swallowed. "Nadia, the only humans here are you, Kenzi and Lauren."

Nadia blinked.

Jenn continued. "Bo and I are Fae. We have certain abilities-strengths. Gran Rosetta is one, too. In fact, almost all of the customers of The Dal at Dark are Fae."

"Julie Chow?" Nadia was incredulous. Julie was the most superficial person she knew and there was nothing about her that spoke of strength.

"Oh, no. Not her. She's just claimed by a Fae—Brian Hoover."

Nadia's voice warbled. "Claimed?"

Jenn sighed. She'd rehearsed this ever since Nadia had come back and was pleased when Lauren reappeared—she'd hoped to saddle the human doctor with the task of breaking the news to Nadia—she really was loathe to be the one to explain dubious Fae customs to Nadia. She looked at Lauren, her eyes clearly conveying a need for assistance.

Lauren cleared her throat and Nadia's head swiveled toward her.

"It's dangerous for humans to be aware of the Fae."

"Depends on where you live," Jenn interjected.

"Do you want help or not?" Lauren asked through clenched teeth.

"Sorry. Go on."

"It is important for the balance of powers that human society remain ignorant of Fae existence. The humans that live within the Fae world are always subject to suspicion. It is required that we be marked or protected or aligned or-"

"Owned," Bo spat.

"Or owned by a Fae citizen," Lauren cast a sideways glance at Bo as she continued, "in order to remain alive."

Nadia took a step back. "What? So, the Fae are a group of murderers?"

"No. No. Well. Not exactly. Fae laws are complex."

Lauren took a deep breath and looked as if she were about to launch into an explanation when Kenzi interrupted. "More speed, less words, Dr. Detail. We don't want the hungry bird-of-fire to interrupt the therapy session."

"So, what, Bo…owns you and Kenzi?" Nadia was clearly horrified.

"No!" The three women were in unison.

Bo continued, "I don't own anybody, but I extend protection for Kenzi. She's my family."

"Awww." Kenzi looked a little misty-eyed. "I love you too, Bo-Bo."

Lauren continued, "I've pledged my service to the leader of one of the two Fae clans; the Light Fae." She nodded toward Jenn. "Jenn belongs to the Dark Fae, and Bo," she looked at the woman standing beside her, "Bo has not chosen a clan."

"Ok. Let me see if I've got this right. There is some secret race of beings who live all over, and _in my home town_," she stressed the last few words with a glare at Jenn, "and they just tolerate stupid humans to keep things balanced between the Fae in the white hats and the Fae in the black hats?"

"No. I do not wear a black hat!" Jenn pointed at Lauren, "And she does not wear a white hat." She added quickly, "And humans aren't all stupid."

"In fact, I do wear a white hat." Lauren reached up and tipped it. "But, no, Nadia, the Light aren't all good and the Dark aren't _all_ bad."

"What do you have to say about that?" Nadia asked Bo.

She shrugged. "I like some Light, I like some Dark. I dislike some Light, _a lot_ and I dislike some Dark, a lot." She looked at Lauren and quietly added. "I like one Light human, an awful lot, even when she drives me batshit crazy."

Lauren felt absurd. Here she was standing in the middle of a clearing with snow capped mountains all around and a reclusive Garuda stalking them, explaining a secret species of superior beings to an ex-girlfriend freshly awake from a five year curse, in the presence of a succubus that she loved. And one sappy comment from that succubus just caused her stomach to dance in a most delightfully tortuous way.

"Just another Monday," she murmured.

Another shrill cry set them all on edge. It was impossible to tell how close it was.

"So, that thing. It's hunting us?" Nadia asked. "Why?"

"Because he's hungry." Jenn explained. "Remember the tales of a monster that fed on bad kids in these mountains?"

"You've got to be kidding."

"Yup. He's real. His name is Ajit."

"Actually, we're hunting him," Kenzi pointed out. "We need his blood and skin."

Nadia's face registered disgust and horror. "You can't…that's not…I don't…is this some sort of reality TV joke?"

Lauren reached out and took Nadia's hand. "Listen to me, Nadia. When we were in the Congo, you were cursed. You weren't sick. It was a horrible thing that one of the Light Fae did so I would work for them. I didn't know. I thought you were suffering the same virus that killed all the villagers. These past five years, I tried to find a cure, while doing work for the Ash—the leader that I'm bound to—he kept you alive and gave me access to his library and labs—in return I owed him everything. But, it wasn't until Bo came along that we discovered you were cursed. By The Ash himself so that I would do research for his clan. I'm so sorry."

Nadia searched Lauren's face and saw only the truth in wide glistening eyes. She pulled her arm away from Lauren.

"They used me to get to you?"

Bo answered, "Yes."

Nadia bit her lip. She was nothing more than a pawn, a useless trading piece in a game she didn't understand.

She looked at Jenn. "And you? What do you have to say about this?"

Jenn looked her in the eye. "I'm glad you're back where you belong, Nadia. I wasn't happy when you left Prince George the first time for university and I'm thankful that fate has brought you back to me." She jutted her chin at Lauren. "I hate her for the pain she caused you—for the loss of five years. If I had known, I would have come for you. But she told us you were dead."

Nadia gasped. "Is that true?"

Lauren nodded, miserably. "I thought it was best. Your family couldn't very well waltz into the Ash's compound to visit you. And you know they would have wanted to. I did the only thing I could think to keep you safe."

Jenn pointed out, "If you'd only told us, we might have realized it was a curse much earlier on. Instead, you made the choice for everyone, and Nadia paid a heavy price."

Lauren was speechless. She took a step back and shook her head. Bo grabbed her hand and squeezed gently.

"Lauren did what she thought was best. She lost five years, too. Her time with the Ash has not been easy. I've seen the pain she's gone through trying to free you, Nadia."

Nadia snorted, "I bet. And you were right there to ease her through it, weren't you, Bo? What special powers do you have again? Somehow, I'm guessing making bad things easier is high up on your scale of-"

The screech sounded again and this time a large black shadow shot over the clearing. An arc of fire followed in its wake.

Nadia screamed.

And then it was gone.

"The bastard is playing with us." Jenn muttered. "Get to the tree line. We'll at least be out of his line of sight."

While they scurried back to the perimeter of the forest Jenn addressed Bo and Lauren. "What did you do to draw him to you so quickly?"

Bo shook her head, "Nothing."

"Right. His last hunt was miles away and he's honed on you like a missile. That didn't just happen in the hour we've been here. I figured it would take me at least two hours to get you so worked up with me he'd come hunting, but he's already in a feeding frenzy." She looked at Lauren, who was walking with her head down. "So what did you do, Doctor?"

Lauren finally fit the pieces together. "So you were planning on using our anger at you the whole time! You've been playing us from the start?"

"Us?" Bo asked quietly. She tilted her head and looked at Lauren. "My god. You've done it again, haven't you?"

Lauren felt cold. Bo's look was the same as it had been when she thought the only reason Lauren was in her bed was because the Ash had sent her. Fear stabbed at her heart. "Bo, no. Bo, just let me explain."

Bo shook her head. "How does it feel, Lauren? To be played by Jenn? For god's sake, to think I felt guilty for succubussing you to keep you safe yesterday." She stepped toward Lauren, her eyes a hint of electric blue. "You've been playing me ever since we got to Prince George. Suddenly, I'm feeling ravenous and really, really pissed off."

Lauren stumbled backwards while Kenzi yelled out, "Bo! Calm down."

A low, rumbling laugh echoed through the trees. Jenn and Nadia spun around trying to pinpoint the source, but it was next to impossible.

Jenn let out a hoarse whisper, "We need to calm down, this is happening too fast. Everyone needs to think happy thoughts."

"Like teddy bears and ponies?" Kenzi asked. "But not clowns and kittens with claws."

The laugh sounded again.

"Rainbows and body surfing." Nadia whispered.

"Honey and vanilla and witch hazel," Bo murmured as she reached for Lauren who had retreated until her back was against a tree. "That's what you taste like. It makes me happy, but I'll never be able to trust you, Lauren, will I?"

* * *

><p><strong>an: thanks to owelpost and a couple of other folks in other parts of the ether who helped out with some of the troubling points in this chapter-your assistance was greatly appreciated! I'm afraid there may be a couple days lapse as work pulls insistently and the pups point hungry paws to their mouths...but, just soz you know: I'm a romantic at heart, so I can't do too much damage to Bo or Lauren, right? Oh...wait. There's that star crossed lover thing. Hmmm. ;)**


	24. Chapter 24

a/n:thanks again for your comments and encouragement!

Chapter 24.

Bo seemed oblivious to everything but Lauren. She reached out as if to caress the woman's face, but the feral grin and eerie glow in her eyes indicated that tenderness was the last thing on her mind.

Her hand stopped just shy of Lauren's cheek. "It would be so easy; to take you."

Lauren swallowed. "Yes." She was frightened at the indifference in Bo's look—it was as though she were nothing more than a lump of flesh. The thought that she could be so disregarded by a woman she loved stirred something in her and she felt anger unlike any she'd known before. Pushing off from the tree she stepped into Bo's hand. "But then who would you run to every time you get in trouble? Dyson?" She snorted.

Bo's eyes flared. "You think I need you?"

Lauren smiled but it did not reach her eyes. They glittered with anger. "Like oxygen." She reached up and grabbed Bo's hand. "Go on. What are you waiting for?"

Bo sneered, "I like to play with my dinner before I devour it." She sent a pulse of energy that made Lauren's eyes half close.

"Mmmmm. That's nice, but really?" Though her voice was breathless, she used the heels of both hands and pushed Bo back a step, breaking their contact. "I've had better."

Kenzi's voice was urgent. "Excuse me, but we're sort of in the middle of a thing here! Could you process your relationship wu-wus later? For now, maybe lend a hand in figuring out where this asshat is hiding?"

She and Nadia and Jenn had formed a loose circle in the middle of the stand of trees and were slowly rotating as they kept an eye on the perimeter of their position.

Jenn shook her head. "You might as well be talking to a stone wall. Ajit is working them."

"Huh?"

"He's feeding their anger—Garuda can tap into their prey's psyche and enflame their fear or rage. They pretty much don't even know we're here."

Nadia asked, "So, what happens next?"

"At this point, I think he's pushing them to their extremes. When he gets hungry enough he'll push one of them over…probably Bo… and she'll kill Lauren. She'll be so enraged at that point, that Ajit will simply drain her."

"Aww, hell no. I didn't come across the country to let my peeps get chewed up by a chickenshit in a bird outfit who is too lame to show his face!"

Jenn chuckled. "You have a way with words, I'll hand it to you."

"I'll hand you something if you don't stop laughing and tell me what we can do to help Bo and Lauren out of this." Kenzi's voice was level and she turned to face Jenn. "You live here. You know what he's capable of. How do we stop him?"

"You've got guts." Jenn waved her hand around in a circle. "The most we can do is distract him. If we irritate him enough he may lose focus and they will have a chance to escape his control. They need to calm their anger—it's the only way for them to break free."

"So, wait, I'm pissed off right now and he's not messing with me."

"You're like a single potato chip while they," she pointed at Bo and Lauren who were sizing up one another like boxers before the match, "are a whole platter of loaded nachos with brownies to follow."

"So we get a free pass, then?"

"For the time being. If he takes them, then we're next, and the key is to stay calm and centered, no anger or fear."

Nadia's giggle had a distinct ring of hysteria. "Right. No fear."

Jenn's jaw tightened. "I'm sorry, Nadia. I shouldn't have brought you here without warning. But, I honestly didn't know how to tell you and thought we'd have time for you to hear it from Lauren. I thought she owed you that much."

"Whatever, Jenn. I'm sick of being used, I'm sick of being ignorant, and I'm sick of being 'protected'. Most of all I'm sick of all of you. So, let's find this motherfucker and finish this. If I survive, I'm pretty sure I don't want any of you near me ever again."

Kenzi held her fist out for a bump. "Rock on, firecracker! Let's get this party started!" When Nadia left her hanging, she dropped her hand, "Right. Well then. Shall we spread out and scout?"

Jenn shook her head, "One needs to stay here—and watch Bo and Lauren." She looked at Nadia. "That's you. Yell out if they escalate to physical violence." She nodded at Kenzi, "You're with me." She patted her backpack. "I have a couple of Ryan's special gadgets—if we score a direct hit, it's sure to piss Ajit off. Nadia, if we get his attention, Bo and Lauren may be able to gain some control. If so, talk to them—tell them to calm down." She stepped forward quickly and grabbed Nadia's hand. "Good luck. I **am** sorry for my part in all of this." She turned and headed into the forest, "Keep up, city girl."

"No worries. My family needs me." Kenzi held out a hand as she kept pace with Jenn, "Give me some firepower."


	25. Chapter 25

a/n: happy weekend cheers to everyone! I was bowled over at the comments this go round-thanks very much! They cheered me up and ended the week on a happy note! And now...onward and downward: angst abounds! ;)

**Chapter 25**

As Kenzi and Jenn disappeared into the trees, Nadia turned her attention to the two women still circling one another. Watching Lauren have angry foreplay with her superhuman bombshell was not going to make her mood any better. She sighed.

_Yeah. Right. Happy thoughts._

"Chocolate ice cream and puppy dog kisses."

It was going to be a long afternoon. Or, she was going to die soon. Either way, she was totally over it.

* * *

><p>Lauren's chin was lifted defiantly as she needled Bo. "Sometimes it's like a broken record with you! We get it: you had a lousy adolescence and spent ten years thinking you were a monster. You couldn't trust yourself to trust anyone and so you just kept running. Enough, already! You've been handed the whole Fae world on a platter and yet you insist on choosing humanity. Funny though, the only humans I see are Kenzi and me; otherwise you're playing the middle between the Light and the Dark. You're afraid to choose because you aren't sure what you'll miss on the other side—now that you have choices, you won't commit because you don't want to limit your experience."<p>

"Oh, preach on, because you know **all** about commitment, don't you?" Bo countered with a look of frustation. "Honestly, Lauren, can you even go to the bathroom without getting permission from your 'master'? You say I hide behind **my** past? Give me a break. You're the Queen of that, sister. You had your past all buttoned up in a secret room for five years. Convenient to be able to hide behind your commitment to Nadia, wasn't it? That left nothing but your work to concentrate on—not much conflict in petri dishes and Fae physiology. Of course, like a good girl, you performed the will of The Ash, left little room for free will. That combination made for a nice little safety net; between your master, your comatose girlfriend and your 'scientific curiosity' you had the perfect reason to throw away any chance we might have at a real relationship. Its almost too bad Nadia woke up; now you have to stand on your own a little more. Oh wait, I forgot: you re-committed yourself to the Ash for the rest of your life, didn't you? I can't handle commitment? Well you can't handle choice."

"My god, do you even listen to yourself? **I** can't handle choice? That's rich coming from a woman who practically lives off a buffet of lovers and refuses to choose a partner. Really, Bo? Who do you want? Dyson? Then why do you come to me when you need help to control your hunger so you can feed without killing? Do you want me? Then why do you constantly run to Dyson for healing?" Lauren shook her head, honestly conflicted. "I know as a succubus you need to have an extremely healthy sex life, and I can accept that; but sometimes it feels as if you emotionally choose Dyson to rub it in my face. Choose me or choose him; don't keep playing us against one another."

* * *

><p>Nadia sat down on the ground. She didn't know exactly what a succubus could do; but she was beginning to feel queasy at the prospect of what must have gone on while she was completely unaware of everything.<p>

* * *

><p>Bo closed the gap between then in a flash and cupped Lauren's face in her hands. "You want me to choose, Lauren? Do you think you're enough for me?" She let a current run from her hands into Lauren and smiled when the doctor gasped. Her voice dropped to a seductive whisper, "Do you want me?"<p>

Lauren struggled to answer, her eyes focused on Bo's lips. "You know I do. I always have." Her mind was clouded with a mix of anger and desire and she felt almost incapacitated by Bo's touch alone. She knew she wouldn't stand a chance if the succubus began to feed. She pushed feebly at Bo's waist.

* * *

><p>Nadia stood on shaky legs and yelled into the forest, "You'd better find him soon—Bo is looking really scary!" She looked around for a weapon of some sort—if it came down to it she would try to help Lauren by any means necessary. She picked up a fallen branch; its heft was similar to a baseball bat. She refocused her attention to the two women. Bo still held Lauren's face and was smiling in such a predatory way that Nadia felt sick to her stomach. She gripped the branch and took a hesitant step toward the succubus.<p>

* * *

><p>Jenn heard Nadia's call, and cupped her mouth to reply when Kenzi's hand clamped down on her shoulder and the woman frantically motioned for her to remain quiet.<p>

Jenn raised an eyebrow in inquiry and Kenzi pointed up. She tilted her head back to follow Kenzi's direction and saw Ajit perched in a branch with a look of gleeful ecstasy on his face. He was bobbing on his haunches as though he couldn't contain the energy he was gathering from the anger that Bo and Lauren were generating.

Kenzi pulled Jenn back a few steps and ducked behind an adjoining tree. She gripped one of Ryan's missiles. Jenn whispered, "How's your throwing arm?"

Kenzi sniffed, "I excelled at Dodge Ball. How does this thing work?" She held out the little grenade.

* * *

><p>Lauren's knees were buckling and Bo's eyes glowed with an unnatural blue intensity.<p>

"I do choose, you, Lauren. Too bad I'm so hungry." She held the sagging woman around the waist and bent her head to deliver a lazy kiss.

As their lips touched and Bo deepened the kiss, Lauren moaned and her eyes rolled back.

* * *

><p>Nadia crept behind Bo and raised the branch.<p>

* * *

><p>Jenn quickly pulled the pin and handed it back with the arm clamped. "Throw it on the count of three."<p>

She pulled the pin out of a second grenade and took two steps out from the tree. "One, two, THREE."

They ducked and covered after they made their throws.

Ajit looked their way just as the grenades found their mark. He was blown off the branch by the force of the explosion and crashed to the ground about fifteen meters beyond the tree. He landed in a crumpled heap and did not move.

Jenn grabbed Kenzi and they took off at a run back toward the others.

* * *

><p>Lauren's hands were pushing against her chest, when Bo felt the rage lift. She broke the kiss with a horrified gasp. "Lauren?"<p>

Lauren was almost dead weight in her arms and her head lolled backwards. She was unresponsive. Bo lowered her to the ground and knelt beside her.

Nadia's voice surprised her, "Did you kill her with a **kiss**?"

Bo turned and barely had time to raise her arm to block the assault. Nadia swung the branch with all her might. Bo hissed in pain when she felt the bone in her lower arm snap. She sat down hard, blinking as white spots danced before her. Nadia's face swam into view. "What did you do to her?"

Bo cradled her arm and struggled to get her breath. Between the energy she'd lost from Ajit and the excruciating pain in her arm, she was finding it hard to remain upright. She needed to heal if she were going to be any help if Ajit made a second attack. She reached for Nadia.

Lauren groaned and stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, but didn't seem to focus. She lifted her hand to her forehead and pinched her temples. She remembered saying awful things. She turned her head to look for Bo and weakly scrambled to a sitting position when she took in the image of Bo feeding on Nadia.

"Bo!" She called out, her voice a hoarse whisper. "Stop it!"

Bo pulled back, her face still a mask of pain, her arm hanging awkwardly. "I have to heal."

Nadia had a dreamy look on her face and she pouted at the cessation of the kiss. "So pretty." She smiled drunkenly, "I dreamed about you. You broke the lock on the door of my cell. You saved me." She leaned forward, "Kiss me." But Bo was no longer paying attention to her.

Lauren felt as though the world had stopped when Bo shyly met her gaze. There was no mistaking the love that shone there. Lauren shook her head, still a bit dazed. "You broke the curse? Why didn't you tell me?"

Bo shrugged, an embarrassed smile quirking at her lips. "It's a long, long story. And my arm hurts too much to go into it right now, later—I promise- but for now," she tilted her head toward Nadia, "is it okay if I heal just a little more?"

Lauren nodded, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She was going to make sure they locked themselves away from the world after all this was over; they had a lot of talking to do.

Kenzi and Jenn broke into the little clearing just as Bo was pulling back from Nadia, who was unconscious but looking happy.

Kenzi looked from Bo to Lauren to Nadia and stomped her feet, turning in a tight little circle.

"See? This girl on girl… on girl," she looked at Jenn who was kneeling beside Nadia a look of worry on her face, "on girl…. shit has way too much drama! I can't leave you alone for a single minute without things going to hell, can I?"


	26. Chapter 26

a/n: as always, thanks for the positive feedback and encouragement; this has been so much fun to write! I'm plain tuckered out after this chapter though, so buckle up, there's a lot going on! Hopefully it won't come across as too confusing. Look for an explanatory author's note at the end!

owelpost: I am so excited to see you've put up a new fic and am hoping to have a Cleo fix soon! ;)

**Chapter 26.**

"You gotta steal my thunder by succubussing your girl's ex?" Kenzi glared at Bo. The quirk of her lips took any reproach out of her words. She continued, literally bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. "You should have seen my throw! Ka-pow-ey! I hit him right in the chest!" She bowed. "You're welcome. You'rewelcomeverymuch. Your continued existence brought to you by Kenzi. Deadaim. Kenzipowa!" She raised her arms in victory. Glancing sideways at Jenn she added, "And her, too."

Bo helped Lauren stand and steadied her when she faltered. "Easy."

Lauren leaned into Bo and looked at Kenzi. "Did you get a blood and skin sample?"

"Oh." Kenzi stopped her victory strut and lowered her arms. "Right."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Let me get my bag. Can you lead me to him?"

Kenzi turned and looked at the forest with skepticism. "Uh. Probably?"

"I can." They looked down at Jenn who was sitting cross-legged beside Nadia. One hand held the unconscious woman's hand while the other rested on Nadia's forehead. "She's just sleeping, right?"

Lauren guiltily made her way to Nadia's other side. "Yes, but let me check her vitals to make sure everything's normal." She looked at Bo, "Can you find my medical pack?"

Once she determined that Nadia was fine, Lauren asked Kenzi, "Stay with her?"

Kenzi nodded and traded places. "Fine, but if she wakes up; what do I tell her?"

Jenn answered, "Tell her that everything is okay, and that we'll be going home soon." She looked around the small clearing and seemed to assess something. She signaled to Bo, "Help me move her." She pointed to a spot about five meters away. "We need to get her there." She raised Nadia and steadied her against her chest. Hooking under her arms she nodded impatiently to Bo, "Grab her legs and help me."

"What for?" Bo bent down and grabbed Nadia's feet and they carried her over until Jenn indicated they could put her down.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lauren asked.

Jenn sighed. "Look. If it comes down to it, I have a way to fight Ajit; but things could get a bit…bumpy. I want to make sure Nadia is in the safest location—Kenzi, you should stay beside her."

Kenzi looked around doubtfully. "Dude, we're out in the open—wouldn't we be safer under a tree?"

Jenn shook her head. She pointed at the three large trees and several smaller ones surrounding the area. "Given their proximity to one another and estimated root system, this is the most stable point in the area. It's the safest place for you to be."

She realized that Bo, Lauren and Kenzi were looking at her as though she'd sprouted a second head. "What? I have a degree in structural engineering. You didn't think Ryan was the only whiz in the family, did you?"

"And yet, you carry a badge." Kenzi muttered and took her position beside Nadia.

Jenn pointed to Lauren's pack. "What do you have in there?"

Lauren's eyebrows drew together; she was clearly confused by Jenn's behavior. "First aid kit, a microbiology pack, standard stuff for field work and some dilute Naga venom—I plan on prepping the samples so they'll be ready for testing as soon as we're back in the lab."

"Perfect." Jenn took a deep breath, knelt and kissed Nadia on the forehead. "Come on." She turned and led Bo and Lauren into the forest.

Kenzi watched them leave. She looked down at the slumbering Nadia. "I think she likes you; but, dude, she's a little intense."

* * *

><p>Jenn led them to the tree where she and Kenzi had found Ajit.<p>

"Dammit! He's gone." The spot where the Garuda had landed after the attack was obvious; the crushed plants and undergrowth were better than a painted body outline. "Can you get samples from this?"

Lauren knelt down and scanned the area. "Maybe." She pulled out a vial of large swabs and tweezers and began to sift among the detritus. "Why don't you two follow his trail? He's got to be injured. You may find some feathers or blood along the way."

Bo and Jenn fanned out, looking for signs of Ajit's trail. It led to a large outcropping of rocks that stood about six meters high. They approached the area with some caution, exchanging wary looks.

An eerie growl stopped them in their tracks.

"Oh, shit." Bo breathed.

She took a step back and glanced at Jenn, who mouthed, "Stay calm. No fear, no anger."

They took a wide berth around the rocks and Jenn shone a flashlight into the crevices.

The growl sounded again, indicating they were close when Jenn gestured, "There, in the corner. Not a great place to pin a Garuda."

Ajit was pressed against the rock, one wing not quite neatly folded. Though he was definitely injured, his eyes shone with an insolent confidence and his lips curled up in a slow smile as he watched the two women. His growl changed to a rumbling purr and he took a step toward them.

"I got nothing." Lauren's voice indicated her approach but before Bo could warn her, Ajit sprang from his corner and attacked the unsuspecting doctor. She only had time to turn slightly before he had her trapped, arm snaked around her chest holding her as a shield.

Bo moved forward, her eyes narrowed. Lauren's hand stopped her. "Bo, No! I'm okay. You have to stay calm."

Bo felt the swirl of anger and fear begin to cloud her mind as Ajit focused on her greedily. _Happy Thoughts._ She shut her eyes and remembered the day she met the insatiably curious human doctor: Lauren's first awkward verbal gaffe when she murmured, "My God, you're beautiful." She smiled at the memory of Lauren sprawled on the couch asleep, murmuring scientific terms as she dreamed. She inhaled deeply at the heady rush when they finally gave in and fell headlong into bed, tearing clothes from one another in a frantic rush and ultimately, the tender spooning afterwards, when Lauren was pressed, very much alive, against Bo, her warm body fitting as though it were born to be there.

Bo felt Ajit's power recede in the wake of such joy and he growled in frustration. She smiled and opened her eyes; they glowed with the tint of blue that forecast she meant business. Bo began to pull Ajit's chi as she walked toward him.

His arms slackened and Lauren twisted free. She retreated a few steps away and began to rummage through her field pack. "Can you keep him stationary while I take blood and skin samples?"

Bo grimaced, but nodded, "Hurry." The chi coming off Ajit was foul and it made her nauseous. She slowed her pull so that she kept the Garuda in a bound state and could manage the discomfort without hurling her breakfast.

Lauren grabbed several plastic baggies, a large syringe and a pair of tweezers. She hesitated, swallowing hard. Ajit was a scary fellow.

_Happy Thoughts._

She thought about the dinner she was going to cook for Bo after all this was over and they were back home. A simple, but elegant menu served with candlelight, wine and a decadent chocolate dessert. She ran through her repertoire of chocolate desserts and wondered which could be adapted for use as body paint. A rich dark mousse, she decided, and licked her lips.

Thus composed, Lauren stepped up and began the process of securing samples. Using the tweezers, she plucked a feather from his wing and dropped it into a bag. She cleaned his arm with alcohol and took a tape pull to secure skin cells and dropped it into a second baggie.

Bo felt her chest tightening as she continued to keep Ajit in check. She gritted her teeth and hoped that all Garuda weren't made of the same chi. "Faster," she managed to gasp.

Lauren inserted the syringe into an arm vein and quickly drew 20 ccs of blood. Finally, she took a buccal swab stick and knelt directly in front of Ajit, who had collapsed to the ground as Bo continued to feed. He looked at her with fury, but was unable to react when she inserted the swab into his mouth and swiped his cheek for additional epithelial cells.

Lauren retreated quickly and dropped to a knee, stowing the samples in her bag. "All done."

Bo broke off her pull, coughing deeply. The sulfurous mix of his chi brought her to her knees and she leaned over and retched. Lauren moved to her side in alarm.

"Bo?"

Ajit smiled. His strength was greatly diminished by the succubus, but he felt the stirring of fear in the human as she tended to the wheezing woman. He turned his head and watched them from where he lay. It was only a matter of minutes before he would be strong enough to feed. From the looks of the succubus she wouldn't be conscious much longer. He hoped he'd be able to spur sufficient fear in the human that her screams would penetrate the succubus' subconscious enough to stir some anger. He was ravenous.

"What happened? She was doing fine, and then all of a sudd—is she breathing?" Jenn dropped opposite Lauren and helped lower Bo to the ground.

"It's anaphylactic shock—something in his chi must have triggered it—her airways are swelling closed." Lauren dumped her entire medical pack out and frantically sifted through the pile until she found an Epipen.

As she pulled the cap off, her fear intensified and she looked down with horror to see a snake slithering in her hand. Screaming, she dropped the pen and scooted backwards. "Fuck!"

Jenn looked at Ajit and froze. He was grinning with delight as he focused on Lauren who was searching in vain for the Epipen, while avoiding the snake that writhed nearby.

"Dammit," Jenn murmured, "She must be hallucinating."

The sound of Bo's wheezing began to diminish as she lost consciousness and Lauren's face was tight with fear, though she managed to control her actions. "I'm going to have to do a tracheotomy."

Jenn grabbed the Epipen and plunged it into Bo's leg and administered the dose. She grabbed the scalpel from Lauren and shook the doctor by the shoulders. "You have to calm down, Lauren. She's going to be fine."

But Lauren was beyond hearing. She was lost in a series of images of Nadia, comatose and helpless; of Bo lying in a homeostatic pod, her beautiful eyes closed for years, leaving Lauren to endless days and nights spent huddled over a microscope hoping for some miracle. Her head shook from side to side and tears streamed down her face as she sobbed. "Not Bo, too. Please, not Bo."

Jenn grabbed Bo and dragged her to an area that she deemed most stable then came back to Lauren, with a bitter smile. "How ironic. I'd thought I would do this in a fight over Nadia; not to save your life." She threw a hard right hook and connected with Lauren's jaw, dropping the doctor immediately.

She sucked in a breath and nursed her hand for a brief minute before dragging Lauren over to Bo. "You're welcome."

Ajit growled and she blocked his attempt to feed by thinking of holidays with Gran Rose and school competitions with Ryan and that lovely day just before leaving for university when she finally kissed Nadia.

She looked through the vials from Lauren's spilled medical bag and found six labeled 'NAGA VENOM' in neat handwriting. Taking one, she gathered the rest, along with the samples from Ajit and placed them back in the bag. Trotting back to the two prone women, she put the bag on Lauren's chest.

She stepped away from Bo and Lauren and turned to face Ajit.

Bo gasped as she came to, she craved oxygen. She rolled to one side and watched with blurry vision as Jenn uncapped the vial of venom.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuck." Jenn took three deep breaths and poured the contents over her head. As the venom dripped into her eyes, she gritted her teeth and felt the first shudders growing. She screamed in agony and dropped to one knee, slamming a fist to the ground.

There was a resounding rumble as the earth absorbed the Loki's strike and a tremor began to shake the forest. Though she writhed in pain, Jenn managed to focus her attention to the area just behind Ajit, who struggled to keep his balance. His broken wing flapped vainly and he let out a piercing scream of fury. He was flightless.

Bo rolled to the other side and saw Lauren laying there, an ugly bruise forming along her jaw line. Bo reached out and touched her shoulder gently. "Hey. Lauren, can you hear me? Come on, honey, wake up."

"Unghhhh." Lauren groaned and her eyes opened slowly, squinting at the sudden light. "What did I run into?" She brought a hand to her jaw and winced.

Jenn's second cry of pain caused Bo and Lauren to scramble to sitting positions.

"What the hell is going on?" Bo got to her knees, but a tremor caused her to lose balance.

Jenn's fist opened and she shuddered again.

A rend formed in the earth behind Ajit, and a chasm deepened.

Jenn thought about the day that Nadia returned; the day she realized that Nadia had not died. It was the best day of her life.

She screamed once more and sprinted toward Ajit.

"No!" Bo and Lauren both cried out, but before they could move Jenn had tackled Ajit in a bizarre embrace and the two figures twisted and tumbled and fell out of sight, their screams fading as they plunged deep into the earth. An unnatural silence followed as Bo and Lauren tried to process what had just happened.

They crept toward the chasm, Lauren bending down to retrieve the empty bottle of Naga Venom. Bo whispered in awe, "She poured it on herself."

Lauren's face pinched in confusion.

They reached the edge and looked down. What seemed to be hundreds of meters below they could see the red glow of magma.

"Oh." Lauren sat back on her heels.

Bo sighed heavily. "Come on. There's nothing more we can do here. Let's get your bag and go home."


	27. Chapter 27

a/n: I'm so totally not predicting how many more chapters this will go on. we'll just see when it ends, m'kay?

thanks, as always, for the words of encouragement! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27<strong>

"When we get back to the lab, I want to put you through an extensive allergy screening," Lauren said, as they hiked back toward Kenzi and Nadia.

"Uh-huh."

"I can compare Ajit's body chemistry with the identified allergens, then cross reference the results with the research on Garuda's genomic biomarkers." Her head bobbed to the left as she shrugged, "which is pretty minimal, so it may be difficult to know for certain if you-,"

Bo exploded, "Are you kidding me, Lauren?"

Lauren bit her lip and ducked her head, "Sorry."

"Ya think? We just watched a woman douse herself with venom and throw herself into a pit of lava. I think my allergies can wait at least five minutes while we show some respect."

Lauren nodded. She mumbled, "I know—you're right. It's how I deal. I focus on something I can fix or at least get lost in." She clenched her fists. "I just—I mean, it was so sudden. She was there and then they were gone—and it was magma—not lava. It's magma when it's underground and lava when it's above ground," Lauren ducked her head in exasperation. "Sorry. I did it again."

Bo grabbed Lauren's hand with a gentle squeeze, "I know. And, I'm sorry I blew up like that—it's how **I** deal."

Lauren's hand tightened around Bo's and they finished the short walk back in silence.

* * *

><p>Kenzi and Nadia were still sitting in the center of the stand of trees when they arrived. There were branches strewn all around them, but their area was clear from debris.<p>

Kenzi perked up when she saw the two women emerge from the forest, hand in hand. "It's about time. Did you feel that earthquake?" She squinted as she got a better look at them. "Bo, do you have a rash? And Doc, purple is not a good color for you—what happened?" She tilted her head and looked around them, "Where's Officer DoRightwhenitFeelsGood?" When neither answered, she looked at them and rephrased, "Where is Jenn?"

Nadia watched their reactions to Kenzi's questions and stood up, shaking her head. "No." She held out a hand, as though that could change the truth. "I don't believe you."

Lauren looked at Nadia, "I'm so sorry. She…she saved our lives."

Nadia just shook her head. "Where is she?"

Bo swallowed. "She pushed Ajit over a cliff. She's gone."

Nadia started to retrace Bo and Lauren's steps, but before she could get too far, Lauren grabbed her arm. "Nadia; there's nothing for you to find."

Nadia jerked away from Lauren's touch. "Maybe not, but I want to at least see for myself. Do you mind?"

Lauren dropped her hand and sighed as Nadia stormed away.

Bo put a hand on Lauren's shoulder, "I'll go with her. You and Kenzi gather everything up; it's going to be a long hike. Maybe we should eat something?"

Lauren nodded. She clapped a hand over Bo's before the succubus moved away. "Tell her I noted the GPS coordinates so Jenn's family will know where to come." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Bo squeezed her shoulder and then took off at a slow jog to catch up with Nadia.

Lauren and Kenzi started picking up supplies and gathering their packs.

Finally Kenzi asked in a small voice. "Tell me?"

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, when Bo and a somber Nadia returned, they found a meager lunch waiting for them.<p>

Lauren held out the gorp to Nadia, "We have a long hike ahead of us; you need to eat something. Please."

Nadia just shook her head and grabbed her daypack. "I'm not hungry. I'll eat on the trail if I start getting shaky."

An aftershock rumbled and they all scrambled toward the spot that Jenn had marked as the most stable.

Once the tremors stopped, Nadia let out a choking sob. "Damn her!"

Kenzi and Bo exchanged glances. Bo sighed. She could practically hear Kenzi's body language yelling for her to take charge and cheer the troops.

She wasn't sure she was cut out for championing a war when people she knew were actually going to die.

"Time's passing. We need to get a move on if we have any hope of getting to the car before dark." Bo shouldered her pack and nodded toward the trail.

Nadia grabbed Jenn's compact waist pack and clipped it on backward, so it didn't interfere with her lightweight backpack.

Bo looked at Lauren, "Back the way we came?"

"Sure."

As they hiked the short distance back to the clearing at the crest they heard a loud thrumming.

Nadia tensed, "What's that?"

Bo looked perplexed, "Sounds like a helicopter." She looked at Nadia, "Was your ride supposed to pick you up?"

Nadia nodded, "But not until we called for it."

Lauren took off at a jog, "Even if it's tourists, maybe we can flag it down and get a ride out of here."

They burst into the clearing just as the chopper touched down and the engine was killed. The sudden silence was almost deafening. The front cockpit door opened and they watched as the pilot took off a headset and helmet. Turning, she stepped out of the chopper and started walking toward the women who were blinking in the bright sunlight.

Bo recognized the trim figure and dark hair with the silver streak, but before she could say anything Nadia called out in disbelief, "Rosetta?"

The woman smiled, but waited until she got closer to reply. "What is it, Nadia? My grand-daughter neglected to tell you I'm her private pilot?"

Nadia chewed her lip and nodded. "Rosetta. Something's happened."

An aftershock hit, interrupting Nadia before she could continue.

"Yes, dear. And it still is." Rosetta nodded and looked beyond them to the tree line. "Where is my grand-daughter?" Without waiting for an answer she nodded to Lauren and Kenzi. "Oh, my apologies. I've not introduced myself: Rosetta Lambert. You must be Dr. Lewis and Kenzi."

They nodded and stood silently waiting for Nadia to continue.

Nadia took a deep breath. "Rosetta, you must know why Jenn brought me here."

"Yes." Rosetta turned her attention to the dark-skinned woman. "Nadia, if you are trying to tell me that Jenn is dead, stop beating around the bush. If you are going to be part of the Fae world, you have to learn to be less diplomatic. The Dark don't have the patience for it."

Nadia stepped back, stunned at the lack of emotion. "Oh."

Lauren and Bo exchanged glances. Lauren lifted a shoulder in a confused shrug.

Bo cleared her throat, "Rosetta. Would you like us to show you where it happened?"

Rosetta shook her head, "I don't think that's necessary." She turned back to the chopper. "Let's get your things loaded."

As they neared the helicopter, Rosetta addressed Lauren. "Dr. Lewis, I know time is of the essence; have you had a chance to set up your testing properly?"

Lauren shook her head. "No. I have the samples, but I haven't subjected them to the venom yet."

"Can you do that here, or do you require a lab?"

Lauren patted the shoulder strap on her backpack. "I have the supplies to do it anywhere."

"Good. I'd like to tell Trick and Lochlyn that your mission is a success. May I suggest you go ahead and set up the experiment while I give them a call?"

Lauren nodded and opened the second door on the pilot's side of the chopper. She put her bag on the seat and began to pull out the samples and cold pack with the petri dishes.

Rosetta grabbed her phone from the cockpit and motioned to the rest that she would just be a minute.

Kenzi sidled up to Bo and asked in a hushed tone, "Am I the only one thinking that I'd rather hike than take a flight with Grandmommie Dearest?"

Bo nodded. "She does seem to be handling it awfully well."

Kenzi shrugged, "Maybe they weren't close?"

Another aftershock trembled the ground beneath their feet. This one was significantly weaker than the others, but Lauren cursed as she struggled to keep her samples from spilling.

Bo moved to help her.

Rosetta terminated her call and grabbed a bag from the cockpit. "The tremors are getting weaker." She looked at Bo, "I've reconsidered; can you take me where you last saw Jenn?"

Bo looked at Lauren who nodded. "Uh. Sure." Stepping back she looked at Nadia and Kenzi, "Help her?"

Nadia deferred, "I'm going with you."

Lauren looked at Kenzi, "I just need one extra pair of hands. Game?"

"Just call me a lab rat."

* * *

><p>By the time they'd reached the area where Kenzi and Nadia had waited during the fight, it was apparent that Rosetta was concerned. Her head kept swiveling back and forth as she scanned the forest.<p>

She sighed in relief when the next aftershock hit. "Thank God."

Nadia asked, "Jenn's not dead, is she?"

Rosetta smiled, "No. So long as we feel those tremors she's alive. She's weak, but she's alive."

Bo stopped. "Talk. Now."

Rosetta grinned, "So much like your mother, dear." She motioned for Bo to continue, "I can multi-task; keep moving."

When Bo resumed walking, Rosetta explained to Nadia. "I married into a family of Loki. It's a wild ride, believe me; they are tricksters and instigators, but they're also passionate and fun. And when they love you? They'll do anything for you—but they're likely to piss you off when they do it." She smiled and patted Nadia's arm. "Jenn thinks she loves you, maybe she does; she's a hard one to pin down. I know, I shouldn't steal her thunder; but I think she may forgive me this once. Keeping you in the dark seems wrong." She kept scanning the forest as she continued walking. "Anyway, the thing about Loki, besides their sharp mind and troublemaking tendencies, is that when doused with snake venom, they have a habit of causing earthquakes."

Nadia stopped. "Are you serious?"

Rosetta smiled. "I imagine you must think we're all crazy."

Nadia replied dryly, "Actually, I think I'm crazy—and you're all just here to entertain me."

A slight aftershock struck and Rosetta's face tightened. She turned and headed in a different direction. "This way, I think. I've tracked injured Loki for years." She shifted the messenger bag she wore across her chest so that she could reach into it. After rummaging for a minute, she pulled out a sponge and a spray bottle.

She continued explaining as Bo and Nadia silently followed. "It's a long story as to why Loki were first punished with snake venom, but over the centuries, Loki worked out a way to use it to their advantage, by directing the seismic forces—and therefore controlling the damage. The quakes are caused by the intensity of the Loki's trembling, which is caused by the pain from the venom. The aftershocks are getting weaker, which means Jenn is struggling to hang on." She held the spray bottle. "We need to find her and neutralize the Naga venom. It's a powerful poison." She frowned.

Nadia swallowed. She wasn't sure how she felt about any of this, other than a distinct sense of relief that Jenn wasn't dead. She scanned the forest as she thought about her feelings regarding her former girlfriend. Their past had been somewhat volatile; Jenn always seemed to manage to sabotage any chance they had by doing something unpredictably irritating. Maybe that was just the Loki nature. God, she needed some time to digest everything.

She spotted some movement and pointed, "There." She took off at a run, "Jenn?"

Ugly welts and oozing blisters covered her face, and she was scratched and bleeding and covered with dirt, but she still managed to gasp out a strong warning before Nadia reached her. "Don't touch me! The venom is still dangerous."

Nadia turned and grabbed the spray bottle from Rosetta. "Shut your eyes and mouth while I spray."

Jenn sank to her knees and did as Nadia directed. She sagged with relief as the medicinal plants worked their magic. After she was doused thoroughly, Nadia reached back and took the sponge from Rosetta as well. When Jenn opened her eyes, Nadia threw the sponge at her. "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again."

A tired smile crossed Jenn's face, "Aww. Just when I was beginning to think you didn't care."

Nadia shook her head, a trace of a smile quirking her lips.

"We saw you go over." Bo's brows were knit together in pained confusion. "How-?" She cut herself off, guilt clouding her face. "No one could have survived that fall."

"You've met my brother. We're not that easy to get rid of."

Bo knew she was referencing Ryan's fall down the elevator shaft.

"But there was lava."

"Magma," Jenn corrected and chuckled when Bo growled at her. "And, I shuddered when I was falling—managed to pull some earth my way. Ajit fell all the way—I think. But I managed to climb out." She closed her eyes. "I'm tired and hungry though." She looked at her grandmother. "Glad you came to get us—my cell phone didn't survive the fall."

"After four hundred years with your grandfather, as soon as the earth moves, I know it's time to mount the rescue."

* * *

><p>"Soooo." Kenzi rocked on her heels. "What's next?"<p>

Lauren thought about it. "I suppose we go to war."

"A whole army of Ajits?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"That's going to suck."

"I think war always does."

"Point for the doctor."

Lauren sighed. "Hopefully it will be a little less hand to hand." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of her petri dishes. "If we are successful with formulating a weapon, maybe we can convince the Garuda to stop their aggression."

Kenzi snorted. "I don't know. Humans are a whole lot less twitchy than the Fae; and look at how the UN fares."

"Point for the perky sidekick."

They were leaning against the helicopter, watching for signs of Bo and the others.

"Bo's not ready for this." Kenzi mused. "She shouldn't have to be the one to lead this."

Lauren laughed sadly, "Kenzi, I think Bo is a lot more ready than either of us want to believe; and honestly, she may be the only hope we really have."

"Yeah. But this? Losing people we don't even really like? Sucks. Can you imagine if it were someone we cared about?"

Lauren put an arm around Kenzi and they huddled together for a few seconds.

Kenzi mumbled. "This feels all sorts of weird."

Lauren laughed. "Tell me about it."

Kenzi leaned into Lauren with a sad smile, but she suddenly tensed.

"What's wrong?" Lauren's body stiffened with alarm.

"Over there," Kenzi pointed, "I think that's them. Oh. Lauren!" She jumped up and down. "There's four of them! They found Jenn!"

Bo yelled from across the clearing, "Well, don't just stand there; give us a hand, we've been hauling this one's sorry ass for too long!" She and Nadia were supporting most of Jenn's weight between the two of them, and Rosetta led them with a satisfied smile.

As Kenzi and Lauren ran to help them, Jenn grumbled. "Any chance you had of getting out of that speeding ticket has just gone out the window, succubus."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28.

Four shot glasses hit the counter at the same time, followed by four spent wedges of lime a few seconds later.

"Dude, that's good!" Kenzi slapped both hands on the bar and breathed in a lungful of air, shimmying her shoulders side to side while she did so. "I think my esophagus is on fire, but it's happy fire!"

Jenn and Bo chuckled and Lauren licked her left middle finger to get the last bit of lime juice before she spun around to take in the nightlife at the Dal after Dark. Leaning back, Lauren placed both elbows on the bar and let her hands rest on her stomach.

"I love tequila!" She announced to no one in particular with a sly smile.

Bo grinned and leaned closer, "Welcome back, after-hours-Lauren; oh, how I've missed you!"

Lauren bit her bottom lip with a smile. She quirked an eyebrow at Bo, "I might let you show me just how much a little later." One side of her mouth lifted in a flirty smile as she noted Bo's lusty reaction. "Why, Bo, if I could read someone's sexual energy I'd say you just went from a solid six to a ten."

Bo pursed her mouth, "Oh, Doctor, you definitely need some calibration—I was a ten to start with and I'm way off the charts now." She focused on Lauren's lips as she leaned closer.

Kenzi wedged herself between the two women, "Okay, okay, okay. We get it; you two dig each other. And it's only a matter of time before you get down to business and don't think I'm staying in the same hotel room with you tonight; but, for the time being, this is a group cele-bray-shun! Come on, Bo-Bo; let's dance!"

Bo reluctantly let Kenzi pull her the dance floor, mouthing a sultry, "Later," to a smiling Lauren.

Lauren looked over at Jenn, who was signaling for another round. "So—are we okay, or do you still hate me?"

Jenn coughed in surprise at Lauren's frank question. "Tequila brings out the best in you, Doctor."

Lauren smiled, "So, I've been told." She turned to face the Loki, and the smile slid from her face, "Look. I made a mistake keeping Nadia's condition a secret." She shrugged, "I can't undo it, and I really don't care if you like me or not; but I don't want that coming between us if we have to work together again. And I'd really appreciate it if you called your brother off—he's an ass."

Jenn nodded to the bartender when he dropped a fresh set of shots for them. She raised hers in cheers and took a small sip before answering. "I'll talk to Ryan, but no promises; he's fond of Bo, so he's misbehaving out of jealousy as much as he was ever playing the protective big brother."

"You didn't answer my first question." Lauren ran a finger around the rim of her shot glass.

Jenn exhaled loudly. "I don't hate you, Lauren. I don't like what you did, for sure, but I got my aggressions out when I punched you earlier." She jutted her chin at Lauren's face, "That bruise looks painful."

Lauren ran a finger lightly down her jaw. "It'll be sore for awhile." Her smile was a little bitter, "I'm not sure how I feel about being punched as therapy; but as long as you think it was a one time thing, I guess I deserved it."

"Truth is, I wrecked my relationship with Nadia long before you came along, but it was nice to have someone to focus my anger on." She sighed.

"Where is Nadia?" Lauren asked. She hadn't seen her ex-girlfriend since they'd touched down at the heliport and they'd gone their separate ways to get cleaned up.

"Probably home packing."

"What?"

Jenn nodded, glumly. "Gran." She tossed back the rest of the shot. "She offered Nadia a shot at a photojournalism job at The Sun in Vancouver. She's headed over for the interview tomorrow."

Lauren was confused, "But, Nadia knows about the Fae—Rosetta is just going to let her go?"

Jenn snorted, "Not exactly—this is one of those jobs where Fae and humans cross paths regularly."

"Isn't that a little premature? Nadia only found out about the Fae, what-barely sixteen hours ago? And now your grandmother wants to throw her out on her own?" Lauren's voice was indignant. "She won't last two weeks on her own in the Fae world!"

Jenn frowned, "I didn't take you for one to jump to conclusions. I didn't say she would be on her own. Gran has a handler in Vancouver who will be able to transition Nadia easily—and she'll be able to do a job she's made for." She looked at the floor, "It's just…too far from Prince George—not that Nadia's sad about that. She made it clear to me this afternoon that she wants some time to absorb everything."

Lauren nodded. "Can't really blame her—she's been through a lot in the last few weeks."

"Yes, she has. And right now, she'd like a drink." Nadia's voice caught them both by surprise. She grinned when she saw their abashed expressions. "I'll have a Crannog Porter," she told the bartender and pointed to Jenn, "She's buying." She wrinkled her nose looking at the shot glasses, "Looks like I'm the only one who'll be standing at the end of the night. Celebrating being alive to fight another day, I see?"

"Or drowning my sorrows." Jenn countered.

Nadia took her beer and lifted it to Jenn, "Well, I, for one, am really glad you're still alive." She took a sip and then jerked her thumb toward the club's interior. "Lauren, your friends are going to get in trouble—I can't believe you aren't chaperoning them—they could use your expertise."

Lauren smiled at Nadia's not so subtle hint to take a hike. "I know when I'm not wanted." She downed her shot and gave Nadia a quick hug and whispered in her ear. "I hope you get everything you want, Nadia—you deserve it."

Nadia returned the hug, "Thanks Lauren—I'm going to be just fine. Time and distance will give me some much needed perspective."

Lauren waved to Jenn and wandered to the area she'd last seen Kenzi and Bo. They weren't on the dance floor any longer, but enthusiastic yells and whoops from an adjoining room suggested that the real entertainment wasn't dancing.

A broad grin broke over her face when she saw what all the excitement was about.

Kenzi was sprawled face down on an air mattress, having just been bucked off a mechanical bull. The operator called out, "23 seconds for the human!" The Fae crowd booed good-naturedly while Kenzi lifted one hand in the air and flipped them off.

Lauren worked her way to the front of the crowd as Bo stepped on the mattress and helped Kenzi regain her footing. Then Bo grabbed the cowboy hat from the operator's head and bowed to the crowd before climbing on board. The operator whistled and announced, "Bodacious Bo!" The bull began rocking and twisting and she gracefully rocked and swayed in counterbalance.

Kenzi staggered over to Lauren. "Gonna be sick."

Lauren laughed, "You blew a Garuda out of a tree and you let a mechanical bull best you?" She stepped back as the slightly green-faced woman burped. "Right." She amended. "You didn't have tequila before the Garuda."

Kenzi delicately patted her chest and smiled. "Sometimes a burp is the best medicine." She looked at Bo, who was spinning and rocking faster as the operator increased the difficulty.

A wild grin was spread over the succubus' face and her free arm whipped up and down violently.

"Rock it, cowgirl!" Kenzi hollered.

Lauren put her fingers to her mouth and let out a loud whistle.

Kenzi looked at her, clearly impressed. "Dude, you've gotta teach me how to do that!"

Bo landed on the mattress in a crumpled, but laughing, heap. She hopped up, grinning; "Oh my God, that was fun!" She perched the cowboy hat back on her head and bowed to the crowd.

"One minute two seconds for the succubus!"

The Fae clientele cheered in approval and several looked interested once Bo's Fae nature was announced, but Bo pushed past the crowd, grabbed three shots from a passing server and presented two of them to Kenzi and Lauren. After downing hers, she took the hat placed it on Lauren's head and grinned mischievously, "Drink up!"

Lauren grinned, knowing fully well what Bo was up to. Obligingly, she downed the shot and let herself be pulled toward the bull.

Bo yelled over the crowd noise, "It's really fun! Don't worry—Tony'll take it easy on you!" She gestured toward the mechanical bull operator.

He winked at Lauren, "Course I will—you're wearing my hat."

"Good luck kiss?" Lauren pulled Bo toward her with a lopsided grin.

"With pleasure," Bo leaned in to brush her lips over Lauren's and was surprised when she was pulled into a deeper kiss. The Fae crowd lustily cheered the audacity of the human, but neither woman paid attention, focusing instead on the softness and fullness of each other's lips. Lauren pulled away with a light nip on Bo's lower lip, causing the succubus to let out a pleasured groan.

"Did I mention I love after hours Lauren?"

With a wink, Lauren gracefully hopped on the bull, grasped the rope palm side up, gripped the bull with her knees, extended an arm into the air and grinned at Tony. The bull started bucking and twisting in a slow pattern.

Bo backed off the air mattress and into Kenzi who was staring slackmouthed at Lauren, who was moving with the bull in perfect counterpoint.

"So, **that's** after hours Lauren?"

Bo nodded, a happy smile on her face, "She's great, isn't she?"

Lauren let out an excited whoop when Tony notched up the intensity and she and the bull become a swirling, twisting blur.

Kenzi whistled, "Damn."

In a fluid movement, Lauren released her hold and pushed off, landing on the mattress with one knee down. She shook her hand and flexed her fingers, releasing the tension and laughing at the burn.

"One minute and twenty eight seconds for the human!" Tony yelled. "Nice job!"

Lauren took the hat off and swept low, bowing for the cheering crowd. She tossed the hat back to Tony and hopped off the air mattress.

She laughed at Bo and Kenzi's stunned expression.

"What? You didn't think this was my first rodeo, did you?" She grabbed Bo's hand and tugged her toward the door. "Come on, this cowgirl needs to get some fresh air."

Kenzi groaned good-naturedly, "Translation: bow-chica-wow-wow."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

She came to her senses slowly, aware first of an inkling of light penetrating her eyelids: morning had broken. Her breathing shifted from deep rhythmic inhalations to short sighs as she rolled onto her back, caught in the netherworld between fragments of thought and muzzy remnants of pleasant dreams. She lifted one arm over her head and arched into a languorous stretch. Her breath hitched as she became aware of long forgotten sensations; the activities of the last few days had definitely taken a toll on her muscles.

Her calves were fatigued from the long hike and her neck and shoulders were tight from carrying a loaded backpack. Her abs were a little sore from the violent twisting and rocking motion of the mechanical bull—she was definitely going to have to do more yoga to avoid that in the future, because she would be talking to Trick about the economic merits of bull riding over Bingo.

All the soreness was more than compensated, however, by the extremely pleasant warmth that still resided in her lower belly and radiated near-electric tingles at every slight shift in position or even the barest whisper of fabric or air moving over her bare skin. She felt the residual pleasure all the way from the top of her head down to her toes, and relished the noodly, limber feeling her entire body had—the aftereffects of a night spent exploring the whims of a succubus. And one or two of her own.

Smiling, she turned her head and cracked open an eye to see what time it was. The clock was cruel in its honesty: 7:07. She'd slept for only an hour—it had been a very busy night. Still she felt surprisingly renewed. Her smile grew larger when a soft snore riffled beside her; Bo was still asleep. The two times they'd shared a bed before she'd been last to wake. She'd never had the luxury of watching Bo at rest.

She rolled over, and raised herself onto an elbow. With her right hand, she reached as if to stroke Bo's cheek, but held off at the last second; loathe to disturb the peacefully slumbering woman.

She was so beautiful when she slept—her face clear of any worry, any responsibility.

It occurred to Lauren that Bo had a lot to bear in the coming weeks, but she forced herself to dwell in the moment, rather than speculate about the uncertain future.

Actually, dwelling in the most recent past wasn't too bad either…

_They'd been driven to the motel by one of Rosetta's baristas—he'd been dispatched earlier that day to fetch their SUV, and had been instructed to pick up and deliver at their request. _

_They'd sat in the back seat, trying to behave, as the man drove them the short ten minutes across town. After a few minutes, Lauren had to lean over and whisper in Bo's ear:_

"_You don't have to do that, you know. Can't you tell; I'm more than ready?"_

_Bo was confused, but when Lauren pointedly looked at their hands, she understood._

_They'd been holding hands since leaving the Dal at Dark, and Bo had relished the contact so much that she'd run her free hand up and down Lauren's arm and across the back of her hand in lazy patterns, enjoying the feel of soft skin. _

_Lauren swallowed and continued in a husky voice, "Really, you don't have to use your powers, Bo, I'm hovering on the edge as it is."_

_Bo smiled, confidence surging at Lauren's admission. "Oh. Good to know." She waited a beat, before she leaned in and whispered in Lauren's ear, "But I'm not doing anything—no powers involved." She raised three fingers in the air, "Scouts honor, Doctor." She nipped Lauren's earlobe gently and then pulled back, her heart rate speeding up at the quiet moan of frustration it elicited from Lauren. She let her hand slide from Lauren's arm and ran it lightly down her thigh, dipping inward at the knee and then tracing a slow path up again._

_Lauren leaned her head back on the seat and whispered breathlessly, "My god, what you do to me."_

_Bo captured her mouth in a sweet kiss. When she pulled back she replied, "Glad I'm not alone in the deep end of the pool."_

_The SUV finally came to a halt and they tumbled from the car and into the lobby. Bo giggled at how casual Lauren tried to appear as they walked through the crowded lobby; but the lust in her eyes was like a neon sign and every head turned to watch the women as they crossed to the elevator. _

_When the doors slid shut Bo burst out laughing, "You just made every person in that lobby's wet dream come true."_

_Lauren's brow furrowed, "Me? You're spouting off sexual pheromones so thick I'm sure they're all going at it like bunnies by now."_

_Bo giggled, "Bunnies?" She was tempted to hit the emergency stop button; Lauren biting her lower lip like that was almost too adorable to resist. Risking the potential for being caught, she stepped forward, backing Lauren into the wall and began to nuzzle her neck, smiling as she felt Lauren's head loll back to grant better access. _

_When the elevator doors opened, she pulled Lauren from the elevator and they hurried to their room at the end of the hallway. Bo was barely able to get the door closed behind them before Lauren pushed her against it. Her look was so intense that Bo stilled._

"_Bo." Lauren paused, looking for the words. "I need to tell you—everything. I've been so wrong to keep secrets in the past; I don't want to do that anymore." She took a deep breath and started to say something more, but her words were cut off in a gasp as Bo shifted quickly and reversed their positions, so that Lauren was now pinned against the door._

"_Lauren, believe me, I'm really glad to hear that. So glad. But, uh…I'm not really in the mood for talking right now."_

_Lauren nodded, "Me neither, but I need you to know: I'm in this. I want you. Not just tonight. I want us to work."_

_Bo smiled. "I like the sound of us." She leaned in to capture Lauren's lips, her hands tugging the form fitting t-shirt untucked. "And now, Doctor, let's see about getting you out of your clothes."_

Bo stirred and stretched. Lauren smiled as she watched Bo's waking ritual. She snuggled up behind, throwing an arm over Bo's waist, her heart catching at the satisfied mumble of approval that greeted her embrace. Bo pushed back against Lauren's body and both women took deep breaths at the intimate contact.

"G'morning." Bo's morning voice was deep and coated with drowsiness. She cleared her throat, "I could get used to this, you know."

"I'm counting on it." Lauren replied.

They lay quietly for a few minutes, comfortable with the silence.

Bo rolled over. "We still have a lot to work out—I don't want to keep making the same mistakes." She reached up and stroked Lauren's face tenderly, but her eyes were serious. "I know I have a tendency to walk out when the emotions run high, I've conditioned myself to do that; and you, my dear, have a tendency to put a plan in motion without consulting anyone about it—which makes trust a little harder to come by." She stretched up and gave Lauren a gentle kiss to lessen the impact of her words. "I think laying it all out there on the table will help us understand how to avoid screwing **us** up." She laughed, "I think I'm suggesting we beef up our healthy relationship skills."

Lauren nodded, her eyes glistening. "Good advice." She shrugged and grinned, "We're just like any average couple." She thought for a moment, then added, "Well, like any couple if you take out the political difficulties of me being pledged to the Ash's service and you being unaligned, and me being human and you being the Fae's Champion, and you having a biological imperative that is sure to push my normative cultural stance on monogamy."

Bo blinked. "I think I need caffeine if we're going to talk about biology and norms."

Lauren grinned. "And possibly breakfast. I haven't gotten such a good work out in ages."

Bo looked pleased, "I'm hungry too." Glancing at the clock, she continued. "Lochlyn's plane won't be here for hours, and Kenzi is not about to grace us with her presence this early—how about we go to the diner around the corner and have that talk?"

Lauren smiled, "I'd really like that." She started to get out of bed, but Bo's arm stopped her.

"Lauren?"

"Yes?"

"I may be the Fae's Champion—but you are their Wizard, you know."

She laughed, "Actually, I think that's Trick's role."

Bo shook her head. "Don't underestimate yourself. You have no idea how important you are—even if the Fae never admit it—they need you. You have a role in their world—and in this battle—the plan to use the Naga poison is brilliant." She cradled Lauren's face and added, "I don't stand a chance in hell without you."

Lauren placed her hand on Bo's and leaned into the caress. She knew that Bo was trying to tell her that she viewed her on equal footing—and that made her heart soar.

She raised an eyebrow at the succubus. "I'm taking a shower before breakfast. They're really into water conservation in BC, would you like to practice some good stewardship with me?"

Bo chuckled, "I don't care what you call it, but if it means I get to shower with you, then I'm all for being green!"

"C'mon then, time will pass quickly; and I want to enjoy every minute I have with you before the real world steps in." Lauren held a hand out and Bo took it with a gentle squeeze.

* * *

><p>an: Well, this is it, kiddies! I think this is a fine place to leave off our girls, getting ready to do what they do (at least in our imaginations): fight the good fight. Together. sigh If only.

At any rate, I may come back and pick this up to carry through the greater Garuda battle, or do some small one shot sorts of things...but, I'll be taking a little break...this turned out to be a 110 page single spaced story-a wee bit longer than my original envisioning! I've got some catching up on other things to do! But, I so, so, SO appreciate all of you who stuck with this from beginning to end and especially those who took the extra time to send a comment along-it definitely helps, knowing there are folks out there reading! So...if you enjoyed and you want a little more, let me hear about it-that will do a lot to get the motivation up to put something else out there! In the meantime...happy reading! ;)


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